Son of the Huntress: Breaking the Titan's Curse
by mahpa
Summary: This is a re-upload of SoulReaperCrewe's "Son of the Huntress: Breaking the Titan's Curse" which he deleted almost a couple of years ago. I had this saved, so I am posting it here. If reading this fic took you on trip down memory lane, show me some love with a review. Enjoy! *PLEASE READ THE FINAL CHAPTER!*
1. Chapter 1

**THIS IS NOT MY FIC.**

 **SoulReaperCrewe is the original author, but he deleted the fic quite some time ago. I had this saved, so I'm posting it here. Hopefully those who were fans of this fic will appreciate the nostalgia.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Hello Maine**

All was quiet In the Hidden Leaf Village as men, women and child walked the streets heading home after their long days. Children walked hand in hand with their mothers and fathers while lovers held each other's arms tightly. The many different little business's throughout Konoha began to close up while the nightlife of the village began to wake up with taverns and bars beginning to get ready for their rush of customers.

Form outside the village invisible to everyone in the village including the shinobi, a figure draped in a grey cloak looked at the village with emotionless eyes. His blue and silver eyes looked at the village before stopping at the Hokage monument just off in the back of the village.

"So they finally got around to adding her face to it." He said as he blinked and took his gaze away from it.

Using his heightened eyesight, he scanned the streets and saw a few old faces walking down the paths.

One was Choji Akimichi who liked always was still eating a bag of chips. He had grown larger in both height and weight and wore a kind of red traditional Akimichi armor. His hair had grown much longer, all the way down to his mid back and had his ever-happy smile on his face.

Beside him was his usual partner in crime Shikamaru. He too had grown in height but was now shorter than the Akimichi. His long hair was still up in its usual ponytails and was now dressed in the usual chunin uniform. In his front pocket he could see a grey lighter with a back of smokes just behind it.

He watched as the two happily chatted and he smirked when he saw Shikamaru mouth the word troublesome like he normally did.

"They're the same as always." He said to himself as his eyes the moved away from them. His heightened eyesight which had improved over the course of six months could now pick up the tiniest of things that could have been hundreds of meters away. Not only that but his sound and smell had improved as well. His time with the toads had proved most fruitful.

As his eyes scanned the streets his good mood quickly took a nose dive when he spotted a very familiar raven haired duck assed bastard walking down the street with his normal scowl on his face.

Yes, Sasuke Uchiha was walking down the street no doubt heading towards the Uchiha compound. Men and women civilians all greeted him as he went passed but he spared no mind to them and simply ignored them as if they were not even there.

The bastard had not changed much other than having gotten taller. Sensing his strength Naruto smirked at the fact that Sasuke had gotten weaker from when he was last in the village, more than two years ago now.

'_Though I see some thing's never change.'_ Naruto thought when he noticed a pink haired woman following after Sasuke like a lost puppy. Sakura Haruno had not changed much other than her hair had grown longer again and was now wearing civilian clothes.

She was spouting out nonsense to Sasuke while the Uchiha just ignored her. No doubt she was trying to find out a way to get Sasuke to marry her again.

"I thought I might find you here." A soft voice called from beside him as he turned around to see a woman figure jumping up towards him using the branches and using a cat like agility and grace in doing so. She appeared next to him and linked one of her arms with his.

"How did you know?" He asked as turned to look at his girlfriend Silena who had not changed much in the last six months other than her hair was longer and in was currently tied up in a pony tail. Though if one thing had changed about her was that she was now so physically fit she could probably beat any Olympic runner or gymnast like it was nothing.

Her training with him at Mount Myoboku had helped her ascend to levels she did not even know she had or thought was possible. Her running speed, her balance and her physical strength had more than doubled and with the weight on each of her limbs she was now carrying up to a hundred pounds. And it looked like she was not having any trouble with it at all.

Plus with all her training she now had a body that would make goddesses envy. When it came to the women gender Silena was now at the peak of women's fitness and health.

Shima had taken an interest in her since Fukasaku was helping Naruto with his senjutsu and had gone about teaching her some shinobi skills. She could not use chakra of course but instead taught her how to use shinobi weapons, trap making, and helped her with her taijutsu. She had even taken it upon herself to learn Japanese since she wanted to understand what all the different kanji meant.

And when it came to her archery skills, Silena could probably content with the experienced members of the Hunt since she just seemed to have taken to it like a fish in water.

"You have been mumbling about seeing it ever since we came to Mount Myoboku six months ago. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you came to see it."

"I just needed to see it one last time before I finally walk away from it forever." He muttered as Silena placed her head on his shoulder and look out at the village.

"It is quite beautiful. I see what you mean by the nature spirits would have loved the Land of Fire. It's just one giant forest that seems to stretch on for miles."

"If Grover came here, I don't think we could get him to leave." He said making her laugh.

"So if this is the last you will see of it, then you won't help them with Pein?"

Naruto stood silent as he heard her words.

That one question had plagued him and been on his mind for months. Would he help the village from the Akatsuki or not? Though there was a small part of him that told him he should since it was his home while his head told him not to. There was nothing to gain from helping them and would only bring later pain to him. He knew that and so did those close to him.

"If I helped them and won the battle, all that would happen is the village would then turn on me, they would attack me and have me arrested and then lock me away and try and turn me into their weapon."

Silena growled. "They are a bunch of ungrateful bastard, the whole lot of them."

"It's why I never want to see it again after today. This village may be home and sunshine to some but to me it is nothing more than a poison. A bad memory that I just want to forget."

Silena went on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before putting her head back on his shoulder.

"Then once we leave here for good we will make new memories. Just me, you and the others at Camp Half Blood. Memories that are worth keeping and ones that bring us joy. Ones we can look back on and smile."

"Once all this Titan business is over with, we can finally leave the fighting behind." He said as Silena nodded into him.

"It sounds like a good plan." She said nuzzling into him before she noticed Naruto's cheeky smirk was on his face. "What's with that look?"

His grin only got bigger. "I left a gift for the Uchiha. I may have snuck in and planted a few additions to his house. After these two years gone I had thought the security around this place would have gotten better but it's still the same as I remember it. Since I am not wearing orange anymore I have become pretty much undetectable."

Silena raised an eyebrow at him but paid close attention to the large compound he had pointed out and watched as Sasuke walked into the compound and into his home.

As soon as he went in a loud explosion suddenly went off. However instead of your normal fire and smoke bombs, instead it was a enormous paint bomb that was so loud the whole village most likely had heard it.

The windows were all covered with red and blue paint while out of one of the chimneys on the top of the roof green paint was oozing out. Sakura who had been trying to follow Sasuke inside had been hit with brown paint so it looked like she had a very unfortunate accident.

The front door slammed open and out came Sasuke who was covered head to toe in paint to the point that his hair looked like a spiky colored rainbow.

He was scowling so much and swearing so much that Naruto was having a hard time keeping his laughter in.

Silena stood next to him and while she found in funny, she had to shake her head at her boyfriend's antics.

'_Sometimes I worry about him. I wonder if they mixed his claiming up since his pranking skills are more like a child of Hermes.'_ She thought as Naruto grabbed her hand while still laughing.

"Come on I can sense shinobi heading towards them. We best leave now." He said as she nodded.

Naruto took one last look back and saw Sakura trying to calm Sasuke down while Sasuke was still throwing a fit and cursing whoever did that prank.

It was then that Sasuke looked up in Naruto's general direction and met Naruto's eye line. When he did Naruto stared right back with his eyes shining and glowing a little while a fox like grin appeared on his face.

When it did Sasuke eyes widened a little before they went murderous with rage.

"Come on lets go before he blows a fuse." He said as he held onto Silena's hand tight before he made a hand sign and poofed away in a cloud of smoke taking Silena along with him leaving the scream sounds of Sasuke cursing Naruto's name.

* * *

**With Naruto and Silena**

Naruto and Silena reappeared on Mount Myoboku and immediately started to make their way toward Fukasaku and Shima's home.

As they walked there the toads that varied of all sized either greeted the pair or gave them both a nod hello.

Since their arrival there six months ago, all of the toads quickly took a shine to Naruto and Silena and most immediately saw the similarities between Naruto and his parents. They saw how familiar his personality had become more like Minato's but had a similar aura around him like Artemis did. One that just shouted out a bond or familiarity with nature.

The toads were even very welcoming towards Silena who was a little nervous to be around enormous toads at first but eventually got use to the company and struck up friendship with various members of the toad's community.

Though she might not have been a summoner they welcomed her happily since she was tied to Naruto in a way and it was similar to what Minato had done with Artemis all those years ago.

She had quickly struck up a strong friendship with Gamatatsu just like Naruto had with Gamakichi. The first time she saw him and met him and saw how childlike he was she couldn't help but feel a little drawn to him and want to mother him. Of course this led to Gamatatsu happily calling her big sis much to everyone's amusement and her delight.

The other was the giant toad Gamaken after she was trying to climb one of the giant lily pads that went high in the sky with weights on but had lost her grip and had began to fall down. As she began to fall, a large, long tongue had grabbed her as she was falling and put her to safety. The tongue had belonged to Gamaken who told her she was a little clumsy like he was. The two struck up a conversation and became friends ever since.

Aside from them she thought that Gamabunta was a big grouch who drank way to much sake. In a way she thought Gamabunta was the toad version of Dionysus.

Naruto had laughed and told her not to tell Mr D that since he would probably turn her into one just as a way of getting back at her.

After a few more minutes they eventually arrived at Ma and Pa's house and saw the chimney puffing smoke out of it.

It immediately made both Naruto and Silena go a little green.

Though they were grateful at how motherly Ma had been around them and treated them, when it came to her cooking they wanted to run for the hills. Neither enjoyed having to eat insects for breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day.

The first time Silena saw what she might have to eat for the rest of their time at Mount Myoboku she gave a look to Naruto telling him to take her home.

Though later in they were eternally grateful to Pa as he revealed they had stocked up on food for Naruto and Silena to eat since he knew full well what his wives cooking was like and he did not envy anyone who was not a toad that had to eat it.

They neared the home of Fukasaku and Shima and both noticed Fukasaku was waiting outside for them with a patient look on his face.

As they got closer the old toad look in their direction and smiled as they got closer.

"Naruto, Silena it's good that you have come. We have a guest joining us." He said making both demi gods eyes shift up a little wondering who would be visiting them since this was a first for the entire duration of their stay.

Seeing their confused looks Fukasaku showed them inside with both following quickly after.

Once inside Naruto's mouth grew into a bright smile as he saw his grandmother Hestia sitting at the table sipping on some tea having a small conversation with Shima.

Hestia saw them come in and smiled warmly at Naruto before getting up and making her way over towards him.

"Grandma." He said as he engulfed her in a tight hug making Hestia laugh a little at how childlike her grandson was when he was around her.

"Ooo I have missed you while you have been away. The camp is not the same anymore without you there." She said before putting him out in front of her looking at the little changes on him.

His hair was a little shorter but was as spiky as ever and he had very little baby fat anymore. Now that he was sixteen he was becoming a full adult and she already knew he was going to be a very handsome young man. He had grown again and was now around five foot ten and she knew he would be growing taller within the next few years.

She then turned her head and saw Silena shuffling a little in her spot since this was the first time she was properly meeting her boyfriend's grandmother.

"And you must be the one that has gained my grandsons heart." She said as Silena nodded a little.

"It is nice to meet you Lady Hestia." She said as she bowed.

But Hestia just laughed at the action.

"My dear there is no need to bow to me. I am not one for formalities." She said as she brought Silena in for a hug.

Silena was surprised by the action but quickly returned it. When she did she heard the Hearth Goddess whisper into her ear.

"Thank you for being with him through this rough time. I know he could have used your support in these last few months."

Silena though surprised at first exited the hug and gave a small smile to Hestia. "It was my pleasure."

From the side Naruto was smiling at their interaction, happy that Silena and Hestia seemed to like each other and were getting along. Though he had no doubt about it, it still worried him since he wanted Hestia to like her.

"Gran not that I don't love you being here but why are you here?" He asked since Hestia had picked an interesting time to finally visit. He was surprised that it was during the last few days of him being on Mount Myoboku but his gut was telling him there was another reason.

Hestia smiled. "Your observation skills are still growing I see." She said before they all sat around a table and turned her attention to the old green toad.

"Fukasaku first I would like to ask where Naruto is in his sage training." She asked as Fukasaku had a thinking look on his face and took a moment before answering.

"Well he has shown great promise and had mastered senjutsu well and very quickly I might add. While we are still tinkering with a few little bits like how long he can last in said state, I would say he is just about finished his training. We are now just refining the edges now so to speak."

Hestia nodded and looked at Naruto with pride.

"That is good. Very good. If that is the case then it means now would be the best time to bring you back. Things at home are beginning to elevate so to speak and we will need Naruto more than ever."

Hearing her tone Naruto and Silena knew things back home were beginning to get worse then they had left it and wondered if Luke or Kronos had made a move against the camp or Olympus yet.

"What's been happening back home gran?"

Hestia took a breath before she began to speak as the others leaned in.

"Things have not been good Naruto, not in the slightest. While no battles have occurred yet, the enemy's forces are beginning to build and get to a monstrous level. Over the last few months monsters have been sighted together and not on their own like they normally would be, all gathering in secluded areas away from town and cities."

"Your mother and her hunters have been in multiple small scale battles and while there have been no deaths yet from the hunters, it is also beginning to take its toll on them and they are getting slower and pushed back more so then ever before. It's only a matter of time until the hunters begin to dwindle."

"And what's worse is that Zeus is still claiming ignorance and saying that Kronos is not rising and that is just some small scale uprising from the monsters and a couple of demi gods. Myself and others have tried to point out to him that Kronos is rising but he just refuses to believe it."

"Pervy King is still a stubborn old goat then." Naruto said while Silena smiled at the jab while Hestia laughed.

"Yes well like mother Rhea says he did take after his father in that aspect." She said before patting him on the cheek.

"By the way Mother Rhea says thank you and that she will want a visit very soon. She enjoys being visited by Demeter and Poseidon and she has you to thank for that and I know she wanted to hug you to death."

Naruto blushed a little but shrugged.

"I just didn't want her to be lonely anymore and she deserves her own happiness just like everyone else does."

"Hmmm." Hestia hummed before getting back to where she was.

"Also we have begun noticing a fair amount of the minor gods spending very long absences from Olympus and acting suspicious. We are beginning to fear that some of the minor gods and goddess will be turning their back on us, not that I can blame them if I am honest."

Naruto and Silena looked a little confused so Hestia elaborated.

"The Minor Gods are constantly looked down upon by some of the Olympians, Zeus, Hera, Ares, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Apollo, and I know they are beginning to great frustrated at how we treat them. They are sometimes threatened to do the bidding of an Olympian God and a few of the Olympians use their status as a god to have certain pleasures given to them."

"Plus their children don't get homes like the children of Olympus get. They don't get cabins and end up being pushed into the Hermes Cabin."

"That's why it's always so full. Why the Hermes cabin is so overcrowded."

"Yes and like the parents the children of the minor gods are the ones that have mostly turned to the side of Kronos and the other Titans."

"If the other Titans begin getting involved then we really will start having problems. Some that were friend and allies in the previous Titan War could easily turn on us."

Naruto nodded a little sympathetically while Silena winced a little at hearing her mother's name. But both felt a little angry since the Minor gods did not deserve to be treated with such disrespect. They followed the rules like they should and they have never been much of a problem, other than Khione back at Christmas but that had been a one off.

"Do you have any idea which ones yet?" Naruto asked but Hestia shook her head.

"Not yet though I have a few in mind who have been acting a little odd lately but I don't want to press them until I am sure of it."

"Which then leads to why I am here." She said. "Since your training is mostly over I believe it's time for you to return. I can see you will not help the leaf and for that I will not blame you. The leaf has done you no favors and therefore you should not have to owe them anything."

"I know but even though my mind is made up, I have a few friends there that I don't want to get hurt. And then there's Ino's dad and I don't want her to lose her father because I chose not to do anything."

Hestia smiled at her grandson. "That's very admirable and your heart is as pure and as strong as always I see. Do not worry. I already have a plan to deal with that." She said.

Everyone looked surprised buy Hestia just gave them a look saying to them 'do not ask because I will not tell.'

Everyone fell silent for a moment before Naruto got up. "Then I guess we should get packing. When will we leave?"

"In ten minute." Hestia said surprising them all but Hestia quickly explained.

"Back home your friends Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace and Grover Underwood were sent to retrieve two demi gods in Maine. I have a feeling things are not going to go as planned due to a bit of information I required and I think it would be best that if you both return and join them in Maine."

Both Naruto and Silena nodded since both were anxious to see everyone again since the surprise that they were staying in the Elemental Nations for six months had hit a few of their friends pretty hard.

Clarisse since they were her two best friends and Annabeth since she looked up to Naruto like a little sister looks up to her big brother.

"Right in that case we will be as quick about it as we can." Naruto said as Silena got up and went after him.

As they left neither saw the smile on Hestia's face which gained the attention of Fukasaku and Shima.

"What is with the devious smile Lady Hestia?" They both asked with slightly raised eyebrows since its made shivers go down their spine before it morphed into a warm smile as her eyes had a faraway look in them.

"Nothing it's just Naruto will be getting a very nice surprise when he arrived in Maine. A surprise he has been waiting for, for more than sixteen years." She said as both toads now understood what she meant."

They hoped Naruto would be ready for the meeting of a lifetime.

* * *

**Maine**

"Who are you people and what is that?" A tanned girl with long black hair and a scruffy green hat called out as she stood in front of her little brother who looked physically similar to her as Percy and Annabeth stood in front of them with Percy having Riptide drawn out and Annabeth with her two bronze knifes in her hands.

Both demi gods looks a little taller than before and a little more mature. Percy had grown a little with his hair now shorter then how it normally was and his body was slightly more muscled then before.

Annabeth biggest change was that physically she looked in better shape than she was six months ago with her arms and legs showing off her now light but lean muscles from the training Naruto had set up for her and it had proved that it had done wonders for her.

From behind the tanned girl, the younger boy looks in wonder at the figure in front of them. "It's a Manticore. He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

The two demi gods looked at him in confusion while the girl face palmed.

"Nico this is not the time for your card game."

"But Bianca it's just like my game." He said before everyone heard a war cry and saw Thalia engage the monster in front of them as she charged at it with her spear and shield activated.

The monster in front of them look like a lion's body and had a long, scorpion-like tail with small scales on its back which acted like armored plating. Its face meanwhile looked aged like a man in his early forties with a bit of grey hair on his head.

Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. Its claws raked against the side of her shield Aegis and sparks shot off from the claws meeting metal.

Grover was off to the side trying not to panic and was using his wild magic to create weeds to tangle the Manticores feet but it was doing little success as the Manticore easily ripped them away.

"You will have to better then that little demi god." The Manticore Dr. Thorne said as he pushed Thalia way and into the snow covered grass.

Percy and Annabeth looked ready to get involved and were about to go forward but from behind them the sound of a helicopter appeared making them both turn around and go a little wide eyed.

The helicopter was fully decked out with machine guns on the side and from beneath the helicopter a large search light was attached. The search lights turned on and shot towards the small fight between Thalia and Dr. Thorne.

The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the Manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.

"No!" Percy said as he ran out to help her. He parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes and perhaps I will spare you if I feel merciful."

The group were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter and they realized that they had no chance. Two Cyclops also appeared behind Dr. Thorn makings things even worse than before.

Then when the group thought things were over and Bianca and Nico hugged each other tightly, they heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

Percy looks around to see where it came from but noticed that Dr. Thorn had a panicked look on his face before it contorted into a look of annoyance. His head then turned and faced the forest to their side.

When he did so did the others while Annabeth scowled a little, obviously knowing who was coming. From out of the forest multiple figured dressed in silver parka jackets all equipped with bow and quivers came out.

When Percy got a good look he noticed all of the figures coming out of the woods were girls, all varying from the age of ten and sixteen all wearing the same clothes and all with the same hateful and steeled looks on their faces.

"Great, just what we needed." Annabeth muttered as Percy look at her.

"You know them?"

She nodded. "The Hunters of Artemis, the ones led by Artemis, Naruto's mother."

As she spoke a silver arrow flew through the air and hit Dr. Thorn right in the shoulder making him take a few steps back and let out a curse of pain. He then grabbed the arrow and yanked it out.

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, Percy noticed she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.

"Permission to kill, my lady?" She asked as Artemis strolled out very relaxed in her twelve year old form. She looked towards the Manticore and tsked in disdain.

"My, my to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting with Olympus's girls scouts. Here to sell me cookies are you?" Dr. Thorn asked as all the girls glared at the hunters and when some of them shouted curse words at him, he just laughed.

"I am here to hunt monsters, something you clearly are Manticore." She said coolly before she looked at Helicopter and waved her hand in front of it. It disappeared into a flock of birds and all flew away.

She then nodded to Zoe who stood next to her. "Permission granted, Zoe."

"I would not be too sure just yet." He said tauntingly before his long tail suddenly wrapped around Thalia and held her in the air in front of him.

"THALIA!" Annabeth called out as Percy grabbed her from getting to close.

Percy was trying to calm Annabeth down so they could come up with a way to save Thalia but to the half bloods surprise the hunters did not lower their bows and instead pulled back on the strings.

'_They're still going to fire_?' They all thought before to their shock the hunters still fired their silver arrows towards the Manticore.

Dr. Thorn too looked surprised at the action thinking they would not dare hurt him while he had a girl hostage since it was common knowledge the hunters thoughts women were the greatest thing in the world. He guessed the Hunters had become a lot colder during their many years in service to Olympus.

The silver arrows all neared their target but just before they could hit and as Annabeth, Grover and Percy shouted out for them to stop, a new wave of black arrows suddenly appeared from the side and imbedded themselves in the silver arrows, halting them in their tracks.

An eerie silence rang out through the giant field as the demi gods all looked surprised at what just happened while the hunters all looked murderous.

"Who dares stop our arrows? Who dares interrupt our hunt?" Zoe called out angrily as she and the other girls all grabbed another arrow and looked ready to fire another one off.

Dr. Thorne chuckled before he motioned for the two Cyclops from behind him to move forward and protect him while he attempted to try and escape with his new hostage. However before he could a sound rang out through the field.

Everyone listened in and heard what sounded like twirling. Like something was twirling through the wind and it was only serving the get louder and louder every second.

"What is that?" Bianca asked as they all looked to see where it was coming from.

But before anyone else could answer, tree's from the forest suddenly burst open and as quick as lighting a large spinning object sped out of the forest and struck the two Cyclops and beheaded both of the two giant monsters causing them to drop to the earth and fade away into gold dust.

When they dropped everyone looked gob smacked at what just happened and Dr. Thorn looked panicked. When the object stopped it embedded itself on a large tree trunk, now showing everyone that the object was a large sword that looked like a butcher's knife.

While the hunters looked at it in a little fear, Annabeth, Percy, Grover and the bound Thalia looked at it in surprise before they recognized it.

"Is that the KubikiribÅ chÅ ? Annabeth said though she and the others noticed that the sword had changed a little. The handle had a bronze handle and one side was now made and coated in celestial bronze, looking similar and like a larger version of Luke's sword.

"Does that meanâ€¦" Grover started before everyone locked onto Dr. Thorn who was now sprinting away as fast as he could. The hunters and demi gods look ready to chase after him but instead as he neared the cliff, two figures appeared in front of him.

When they dropped, the demi gods and satyr all had the brightest, happiest look on their faces while the hunters looked a little stunned by the sudden arrival. While Artemis looked in-between the motions of shocked and happiness.

Naruto and Silena stood their proudly blocking the way both with serious looks on their face and both looking in better shape than they had ever seen them and wore clothes to match.

Naruto wore a simple navy blue t-shirt that showed off his muscular body and the few seals on his wrists. He wore black bottoms and combat boots and on his hands were black fingerless gloves. However the most noticeable clothing was the black headband on his forehead that looked exactly like a shinobi forehead protector but engraved on the metal was now the symbol for Camp Half Blood. Plus draped over him was a long red cloak that opened at the front and stopped at his hips and was dark red with black flames flickering the bottom.

With Silena she had a padded grey top that was sleeveless with a black skirt that stopped a little above the knees and combat heeled boots that went up to her knees. On her skirt she had a bandana just like Naruto tied around her waist. On her thighs she had various knives strapped to them while on her back she had her bow and quiver strapped on. Like Naruto she wore a cloak jacket but the colors were instead a grayish silver with hot pink flames at the bottom.

All the demi gods looked at them and thought they were completely badass and Percy and Grover wanted to know where to get one.

Dr Thorn looked surprised and went to turn the other way but from behind him Gamakichi suddenly dropped in, smirking at the monster.

"You are not going anywhere buddy." He said as he crossed his arms while ignoring the hunter's surprised look at the large talking toad.

Dr. Thorn suddenly looked conflicted so he chose what he thought would be the easier option and charged forward towards Naruto and Silena.

However before he could get past them which he thought he would do with his great speed, he was surprised to see Naruto take a step forward and with a single swing, brought his glove covered fist into the stomach of the Manticore.

When he did everyone other then the two demi gods looked stunned when Dr. Thorn shook for a moment before he dropped to his knees clutching his stomach and vomited the contents of his stomach.

"You're him." He said loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're her brat. The one that monsters are all beginning to fear. The one that took down the Kraken."

"So you've heard of me?" Naruto said in a polite tone. "That's good I guess. Though I am not really sure about the title. I mean Legend Slayer sounds a little much to be honest."

"Maybe she is the one you should worry about. I mean she is the one that going to sent you to the Underworld."

"What?" Dr. Thorn asked before sharp pain entered his mouth and caused black blood to pour out of it. He looked up to see Silena looking at him coldly with a dagger in her hands with said dagger impaled through his mouth.

"The moment you harmed my friends, your life was forfeit." She said before she took the dagger out and to everyone's surprised grabbed his human shaped head and with great strength that surprised everyone snapped it with an audible crunching sound ringing out.

Dr. Thorn dropped to the ground immediately and began to disappear into gold dust.

Thalia who was still wrapped in his tail yelped when since she was still in the air and with the tail gone, she fell to the ground but found herself caught in the arms of an amused looking Naruto.

"Hey Thals, been a while." He said making her roll her eyes but smile up at him none the less.

"Nice of you to finally join us Uzumaki, we were wondering when you two were going to get back." She said as Naruto put her back on her feet.

"NARUTOOO!" He heard as he looked forward to see Annabeth sprinting towards him before she jumped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He smiled as he spun her around a little making her laugh and squeal a little before he placed her back down on the ground.

"I have missed you Bethy." He said as Annabeth gave him a family kiss on the cheek.

"Missed you too Fishcake." She said quietly making him roll his eyes before he greeted Percy who was now beside him and gave his friend a manly one armed hug.

He spotted Grover a little distance away with a boy and a girl who looked liked siblings and who he thought he recognized. Before he could get a closer look he finally noticed the hunter's standings there as they headed towards them, some looking at Naruto with emotionless looks and others looking at Silena in slight awe.

Naruto had not payed much attention to them before hand but now as he looked at them and he saw what they were wearing his eyes went a little wide.

"Are they theâ€¦..?"

"The Hunters of Artemis." Annabeth said knowing the moment Naruto had waited for was close to finally happening and she saw him shake a little.

So did Silena as she went next to him and took his hand into hers, wanting to be there for support.

As she said that they all saw an auburn haired girl step forward who looked about twelve and saw her look towards Naruto. They all covered their eyes a little when she was engulfed in a bright light and changed into a woman in her early twenties.

She looked towards Naruto and after a moment of silence a warm, loving smile appeared on her face.

"Hello Naruto." She whispered to him as she walked and stood in front of Naruto.

Naruto throat tightened a little as he looked towards the woman he had waited so long to finally meet.

"Hi Mom."

* * *

**Chapter One Completed**

**Beta's by anime death angel**

**And there you have it. You may be wondering why Naruto did not stop Pein but to be honest it would have been to cliche if he did defend it and what reason really does he have to do so. Konoha has done him no favors and has only brought him pain and more pain.**

**Silena as you can see has become a bit of a bad ass which is what I was aiming for. Since she ha six months of pure training with Shima, she has become very skilled and deadly in her own right. She can't use chakra as we know but she is now highly proficient in the stuffs that does not require chakra.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Long Awaited Reunion**

Naruto stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face as the entire field was completely silent of anyone speaking as everyone's eyes laid upon him and the goddess in front of him who was still looking at him with an ever curious smile on her face.

'_This is my mom.'_ He thought to himself as he looked her over.

She was actually kind of what he imagined she looked like, at least what he had managed to piece together from what other people had told him about her, the various fiction images like the Mythomagic card he got of her and the various statues he had seen in the museums. Her hair was long but curled at the bottom, her silver eyes were in-between a silver color and a yellowy silver that looked exactly like the moon.

Though he understood what people meant that he looked like his father, seeing his mother now he could see the resemblances with her now and what he had inherited from her. She was very beautiful, more so then he ever imagined and just had this aura of natural beauty about her. Like she didn't have to try to look that way, it just kind of happened.

From behind her he noticed all the hunters looking at him and noticed they were either looking at him in envy or with annoyance. He guessed they had not really accepted him yet.

He was about to go forward and hug her for the first time ever but like a kill joy that he is, Grover just had to interrupt the moment.

He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're soâ€¦ you're soâ€¦ Wow!"

The hunters looked at him with a raised eyebrow while the demi gods all face palmed since it was common knowledge how infatuate satyrs and other nature spirits were with Artemis. Heck a lot of the time they followed Naruto around since he was her son.

"Get up Goat Boy, now is not the time to go all fan crazy." Thalia said as she bopped him on the head making him wince in pain.

As he stood up a quiet voice spoke up from behind them.

They all turned around to show Bianca and Nico standing there both completely confused at what was going on.

"Wâ€¦What the heck is going on? Who are you people and what did we just see?" She said pointing back to where the small battle happened.

Nico meanwhile stepped forward and looked at Naruto. Bianca saw what her brother was doing and did the same since they both could feel they knew him from somewhere.

Naruto did the same and walked up and looked at them curiously.

Everyone else looked at them oddly wondering what in the world they were doing before Nico's eyes widened and pointed at Naruto.

"You're that ramen guy from the casino." He said just as Naruto did the same.

"You're those kids from the Casino."

"Um do you guys know each other?" Annabeth asked stepping forward looking at them both strangely.

"Yeah this is Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, I met them back on the quest for Zeus's lightning bolt. I met them while we were in Vegas and I introduced Nico to the wonders of Ramen."

"RAMEN!" Nico called out as he and Naruto fist pumped the air as their demi gods friends sighed and shook their heads.

From beside them they all noticed Bianca was looking at Naruto with a blush as she now remembered where she had met the blonde and many noticed the pink tinge on her cheeks and how she was twiddling her fingers in slight nerves.

Silena raised an eyebrow at that but she let it go since Bianca would not be the last person to have a crush on her boyfriend.

The Hunters meanwhile eyed Naruto with a slight glare thinking he did something unjustly to gain her affections.

Bianca then shook her head out of the moment. "You still have not answered what just happened. I want to know what we just saw since what we saw should not have been possible."

From the hunters line Zoe walked forward and got closer to Bianca while she bumped Naruto out of the way, making him go to the side with Nico still beside him.

He looked at Zoe with an odd expression while the other demi gods looked at her in annoyance though the hunters were smiling at their lieutenant. Artemis sighed at her lieutenants actions thought since she knew howâ€¦.difficult she could be when she wanted.

"The better question is you asking who you and yourâ€¦..brother are." She said though she said brother a little disdain making Nico shrink in his spot though a pat on the shoulder from Naruto perked him right up again.

"Our parents are dead." Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, butâ€¦" She stopped when she saw most of the faces looking at her did not believe her.

"I'm telling the truth." she said incredulously before looking away and shuffled back over to where her brother and Naruto was standing much to the demi gods amusement and the hunters annoyance.

"Bianca what she is trying to say to you is that you and Nico are not like other people. You are special in the way that you are both recognized as Half Bloods. One of your parents was a mortal while the other was most likely an Olympian God."

"What? Gods? Olympian Gods aren't real, those are just myths, stories." She said as thunder boomed over the sky making many wince a little.

"It's best not to say that, the big guy in the sky does not really like it when people say they don't exist. He a little broody." He said whispering the last part as Bianca and Nico nodded dumbly.

"Cool." Nico said smiling that very thought while Bianca tapped him n the head.

"No this is not cool Nico." She said though Nico was in his own little world spouting nonsense about gods and Mythomagic.

"Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points forâ€""

"Nico this is not the time for your stupid game." She said while Naruto looked at him.

"You still play Mythomagic?"

"Of course, it's the best game ever." He said pointing to his pocket which had all his card in.

Thalia then walked up to them and placed her hands on Bianca's shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

"Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, wellâ€¦ Our lives are dangerous."

"If there so real then who is your godly parents?" She said looking to Naruto with an incredulously look on her face.

Naruto stumbled a little and went a little red making his friends laugh. "Um she is kind of standing over there." He said pointing over towards Artemis who had an amused look on her face which only made Bianca have her eyes widen.

"So she is a â€¦.," She started but everyone nodded in confirmation as the black haired girl gulped a little. She then looked over at Artemis with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Miss. I um hope I did not offend you."

Artemis raised her hand. "It is fine young one. You are confused and it is to be expected that you do not believe of our existence at first. But do know that with the existence of the gods, it also means that the old myths and legend you have been told about us are true."

"So that Dr. Thorn guy was really a Manticore?" Nico asked as Artemis titled her head to look at him. She did not answer but she did give a small nod to confirm what he said.

"Whoa." He said is amazement as he looked like a kid you just woke up on Christmas morning. Grover then took his fake legs off to show everything they were telling was the truth. It only led to Nico getting more excited and Bianca look like she was about to have a panic attack.

"Grover, put your legs back on." Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."

It was then that Percy walked forward with Annabeth beside him trying to give Bianca reassurance.

"Bianca." Percy said, "We came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" she asked a little hesitantly as Nico's ear perked up..

"Camp Half-Blood." He said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."

"That sounds awesome," Nico yelled clearly showing the half bloods that Nico was defiantly in. They looked to Bianca who looked at Naruto.

"Would you be there?" She asked quietly. "I'd prefer to go somewhere with someone I actually know." she said as Naruto nodded.

"Yeah I will be there and I am sure you will meet and make tones of new friends."

"You won't have to be on your own anymore with Nico. We can all pitch in and help with him. At camp your responsibilities will be lessened and you will be able to relax more as well as learn to defend yourself."

Bianca nodded and looked fond of the idea but Zoe stepped forward.

"There is another option for her instead of thatâ€¦..camp." She said as Thalia glared at her and was about to walk up to her but Silena beat her too it.

"True there are the Hunters but unlike you she is clearly not a man hater." She said as Zoe snorted at her.

"Yes well all you Aphrodite children are well know man lovers. After all you and your siblings spread your legs for most just like your mother. At least with you one of her kids have use." Zoe said as the Hunter all agreed with her statement and Artemis could feel a headache coming along.

"You leave my mother out of this and just for the record why would I want to do that when I have a boyfriend who loves me and while my siblings maybe a little â€¦..soft, it does not make them useless. Its more then what you have bitch." Silena said as Zoe looked ready to blow as her fingers traced along her hunting knives while Silena did the same with her dagger.

Before anything could happen, Naruto stepped forward and got in the middle of them to stop them from duking it out. "The last thing we need is you two to start fighting and if you have not noticed this is Bianca's choice on where she wants to go. Don't you think we should ask her what she wants to go since it her decision."

"Let my mom explain it to her, I am sure she could be better at explain the pro's and cons then we will be." He said he looked over to Artemis who gave him a small nod and a grateful smile at diffusing the situation.

Zoe eyed him curiously before turning away. "Very well, I can agree to that."

"As can I." Silena said as she wrapped one of her arms though one of Naruto's.

Zoe stood back in line but glared at both Thalia and Silena who happily glared back at her.

"We've burdened these children enough." Artemis announced as she tried to get everything back into order. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

Zoe nodded and began to walk away what the other hunters. "Yes, my lady."

"Bianca like my son said, I will explain it to you. Come with me and we will have a small chat."

Bianca nodded and went with Artemis whilst Naruto looked on. He knew his mother had her duties and while he was glad she looked happy to see him, he hoped at some point they could actually have a talk.

"You okay?" Silena asked Naruto as she saw him look towards Artemis and Bianca with a faraway look on his face.

"I'm fine." He gulped and he swept his hand through his hair. "It's just weird to think that I am actually looking at her after all this time. It's not how I imagined we would meet for the first time but I can live with it."

"Well I am sure you two will have a sit down at some point during the evening since she looks eager to speak to you. Just have to be a little patient." She said as she leaned into him.

"I guess." He said before he felt another hand grab him and lead him towards the camp. Annabeth was dragging him away whilst having a happy look on her face.

"Come on you need to tell me everything you did back at Mount Myoboku. I want all the details." She said as Naruto sighed but had a feeling she would be asking.

Percy, Thalia, Nico, Grover and Silena followed after them as Thalia wanted to see just how strong Naruto and Silena had become in their time away.

* * *

**With Artemis and Bianca**

"This is far enough." Artemis said as she stopped beside the other side of the field, away from prying eyes and ears as Bianca stopped and shuffled where she was standing.

"You need not be afraid of me young one. I will not harm you unless you give me reason to." She said.

"Sorry it's just Iâ€¦..I never imagined I would actually be talking to a real life goddess." Bianca said as she swept away a strand of hair.

"Its fine, I understand today has been long and stressful for you and your brother so I will keep this explanation short so we can quickly go to my camp."

"Though your brother only has the choice to go to Camp Half-blood, you on the other hand have a second choice. That choice being you can join my hunters and will travel with us through the world, go on adventures and be free of responsibilities. You will gain eternal youth and will live for many decades, centuries perhaps even longer. You will be shown how to defend yourself and how to take care of yourself without the aid of men."

Bianca nodded and she had to admit it did sound amazing but a little too good to be true, like there had to be some kind of catch.

"But there is a catch isn't there?" she said as Artemis nodded.

"One of the requirements is that it is generally needed for a huntress to renounce men altogether and see women as the superior gender. Also you would have to swear off romantic love for the rest of your life. Once you are in the Hunters, it will be very difficult to leave and breaking the rules that are set in place is reprimanded greatly."

"So I would not see Nico again?" She asked since it did not sit well with her having to just leave suddenly and leave Nico all alone.

Artemis shook her head. "You would see him on the rare occasions that we visit Camp Half Blood but otherwise no, you would not see or contact him." She said and immediately the goddess could see the afflicted look on Bianca's face and something inside of her already told her what the answer would be.

'_Leave Nico behind. I couldn't just abandon him like that. I'm his only family.'_ She thought. _'Plus Naruto said we would make tones of new friends at camp and that it would become a nice new home for us. Somewhere we will be safe and looked after.'_

They stood there for a moment in silence as Artemis waited for her answer.

"Thank you for the offer butâ€¦but I will have to say no to joining the hunters. I-I can't just abandon Nico like that. It wouldn't be fair on him." She said as Artemis sighed and nodded.

"Very well. It is very loyal of you to stick with family then your own wants, something I value greatly. While I may not be pleased with the decision I will respect it and I will tell the other girls to respect your decision."

"Thank you." Bianca said as they began walking back to the camp. As they walked Bianca inadvertently blurted out what was on her mind which gained Artemis's attention.

"How are you leader of a group of eternal maidens when you are not one yourself?" She asked before she placed her hand over her mouth in shock at what she just said. Artemis raised an eyebrow at her.

Bianca scolded herself for asking such a question but she couldn't help it. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. Artemis was known as the maiden goddess and yet here she was with a son.

"That is an interesting question and one not many have dared to ask me. But I commend you for your honesty for asking. However it is best I speak with my son first since he will be wanting similar answers."

"Wait you mean this is the first time he is meeting you?" She asked surprised that she was part of one of Naruto's big life events though Artemis did not answer and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

**With Demi-Gods**

Naruto sat beside Silena as Silena spoke with Annabeth and Thalia about her time on Mount Myoboku and how about her six month long training period with Shima and the toads. Percy and Grover were sitting with Nico as the younger boy was showing them his Mythomagic cards as well as asking them all kinds of questions about the camp and the gods.

"So there is a cabin for each god or goddess?" Nico asked as Percy nodded.

"Twelve cabins for the children of the twelve Olympians. Then the unclaimed go to the Hermes cabin since Hermes is happy to let those that have not been claimed stay in his cabin with his children, which is where you will go at first until hopefully your parent claims you."

"Usually it's pretty crowded in there but lately a lot of space opened up in it and now there are a few bunks and beds free, plus Connor and Travis who are the heads of the cabin are good friends of ours and will take good care of you." Grover pitched.

"Though watch out since they tended to be a couple of pranksters." Percy added and Nico nodded getting more and more excited about it.

As they all talked the tent flap opened up to see Bianca walking in towards them and many smiled when they knew her presence here meant she had chosen not to join the hunters.

The girls all welcomed her in as the boys gave her a nod and wave, immediately putting nay nerves Bianca had to rest, letting her know internally that she made the right choice.

"Now we have another girl for the group." Annabeth said as she and Thalia put their arms around Bianca to help her feel included. It worked since the tanned girl smiled at them.

As they spoke Naruto took of his jacket revealing his well muscled arms making the girls all blush a little while Silena smirked. Though when he did it also gained the attention of everyone.

"Naruto is that a tattoo?" Annabeth asked as she took right arm and looked on his upper arm as did everyone else as Naruto just smiled at them.

The tattoo was of a Greek shield with a Greek helmet in the centre of it with a sword going diagonally down one side and a spear going down the other. At the bottom was a horizontal bow and then on each side was a word around the shield with the Greek word for Family right at the top and the words Honor, Duty and Respect down the other.

"Wow, that is such a badass tattoo." Thalia said as Percy quickly agreed with them as did Nico and Bianca.

"Yeah I thought the same when I got it." Naruto said as Annabeth looked at him quizzically.

"Where did you get it?"

"The toads let us go out into a few towns from time to time to relax and we found a tattoo place. I had an idea for a tattoo and Silena and I decided to get the tattoo."

They looked at Silena and she took off her left boot and showed them her foot. Just above her ankle was the same tattoo.

"It's official. I need to get that tattoo." Thalia said as a few of the others all nodded as Naruto and Silena nodded their heads.

"It is a pretty awesome tattoo." They both said before Silena leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before putting her boot back on. "No doubt Clarisse will probably want to get one too."

"I think that much is a given." He said just as the tent flap went open and Zoe Nightshade walked in scowling as she did. She glanced at Bianca with a disappointed look on her face before she looked at Naruto, Percy, and Bianca.

"My mistress would like to see you so get up and start moving." She said before she stormed out.

"She's a ray of sunshine." Thalia said as the three got up and followed after Zoe.

They trekked through the hunter's campsite with Naruto now wearing his jacket again but with the sleeves a little rolled up.

As they walked they saw the hunter's just sort of stared at them as if trying to figure them out, Naruto mostly. When they looked at Bianca is was looks of disappointment whilst Percy ended up just getting glares.

"They don't look too pleased to see us do they?" Percy whispered to Naruto who just shrugged.

"They are technically man haters so it's to be expected."

"Yeah but you think they would cut you some slack as least since Artemis is your mom."

"I guess but to be honest I was never expecting much from them anyway. One of the two I met on the Light Bolt quest was rather antagonistic towards me."

Before they could continue to speak they ended up at the main tent where Artemis was currently residing in. Zoe motioned for them to follow as she went inside and they quickly followed after them.

The inside of tent was warm with multiple furs decorating the room. . Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns Artemis was sitting on a wooden throne with a large deer with its head happily lying on her lap and said goddess was still in her adult form.

Zoe walked towards her and stood next to her throne with her ever serious look on her face.

The three demi gods took a seat on some cushions that were laid out in front of her and began making themselves comfortable.

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you." Artemis said as she looked at Percy before looking a little sadly at Naruto. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this campâ€¦" She looked at Zoe. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado." Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied.

"What happened to him? Naruto blurted out getting everyone's attention. "To the boy that was turned into a jackelope. Was he turned back or was he left like that?"

"He was left like that, pity since we could not hunt him. He interrupted our hunt with that loud mouth of his." ZoÃ« said before Artemis could speak. Naruto raised his eyebrow at the copper skinned girl before he looked towards his mother.

"Please turn him back."

"Excuse me?" Artemis said a little surprised as Percy and Bianca looked at him in shock while ZoÃ« looked at him angrily.

"If that is the only reason you did that to him then he did not deserve that to be done to him. His family is probably sick with worry and he should be turned back to normal."

The tent was in silence as everyone stared at him while Zoe looked ready to explode again. Artemis bit her lip before sighing and clicked her fingers making Zoe huff and Naruto give her a thankful smile. In return she gave him a small smile.

'_Perhaps I do need a better reason to turn boys into jackelopes. It's just so fun though.'_ She thought before getting back on topic.

Hundreds of miles away a jackelopes turned into a naked teenage boy who looked around his surroundings with bits of leaves in his mouth, unsure of where he was and how he got there.

"I have asked you hear so I could get your recounts of what happened before the hunters appeared. I would like to know if the Manticore said anything of interest. I would like to hear it from the two of you." She said as she looked at Percy and Bianca.

They both nodded and explained as best as they could. Naruto listened in as well since he had not arrived by that point. By the end off their stories, everyone had a worried look on their faces.

Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

"What scent?" The three asked curious at what they were tracking.

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia." Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten."

She stared at them intently. "We came here tonight sensing the Manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, I hate middle school dances." Percy said making some of the shake their heads.

"I think she means after that Percy." Naruto said.

"Oh right. Well umâ€¦. He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me and that he was preparing for something." He said as Naruto noticed that Zoe's face went pale and scared at the name making him wonder just who this general person was. Whoever it was it had her spooked.

"That's right, and then he said something about the great stirring pot and that soon we shall have the most important monster of allâ€"the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus."

Artemis sat as still as a statue. "I have been too slow in seeing what has been in front of me the entire time. I must hunt down this monster immediately."

Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoe. I must do this alone."

"But, Artemisâ€""

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me. I will find this creature." Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

She then looked at three of them. "Please make sure my hunters get to the camp safely. They will be travelling with you back to Camp Half-blood where they will be remaining until I come collect them."

"What?" Zoe' blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there-"

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

"Fine." Zoe gritted out before pointing to Naruto. "But he cannot stay in their while we stay at the camp. He will need to move out."

"Wait a minute." Percy said standing up. "You can't do that. He is Artemis's flesh and blood, if anyone has the right to go into that cabin its Naruto."

"Zoe that is unfair. Naruto has just as much rite as the hunters do." Artemis said looking at her lieutenant sternly but Naruto then voiced his say.

"Its fine." He said getting their attention. "I can pack some of my stuff from my room and stay in one of the others room. I'm sure the Hermes cabin won't mind me bunking there for a few nights. I'm okay with it; I don't want any problems to break out because of me."

Zoe looked at him before nodding slightly before she left the tent as Artemis remained and again looked at Naruto with a sorry glance.

"You may all go back to your tent and get some rest." She said as they all stood up but quickly she spoke up again. "Naruto, please stay."

Naruto looked up and saw his mother's pleading glance and nodded his head.

"I'll see you guys later." He said as Percy and Bianca nodded at him before they walked out of the tent.

When they left the tent flap closed behind them and it went into silence, the only sound being the flickers of the fire. Naruto stood there not really knowing what to say as his mother stood from her chair and slowly made her way towards him.

Each step she took felt like long and lengthy as she avoided the fire. Her eyes never left Naruto's and Naruto could now see how much love she was showing in them at this moment in time.

She stopped in front of him with her being a few inches shorter then he was and took off her gloves. She lifted both of her hands and placed them on Naruto's cheeks as Naruto noticed silent and steady tears now making their way down her cheeks.

As soon as he saw her tears, his own began gathering in his eyes and pouring down his cheeks.

They stood their silently for a few moments just looking at each other before Artemis said "My baby is so grown up."

Naruto let out a small sob/laugh and as quick as lightning he wrapped his arms around his mother as tight as he could and buried his head in her neck and he began letting out the years of emotions that had built up when it came to his mother.

Artemis did the same thing as she tightly wrapped her arms around her son, as if she was never going to let him go again and she was going to keep him at her side for the rest of time.

"My baby, my baby boy." She kept repeating as she kissed his head rapidly, trying to show him as much motherly love as she could.

"I have wanted to meet you so much." He said trying to get himself under control but was failing at it. "Everyone always told me back in the leaf that you never wanted me, that my own mother saw me as a disappointment and some demon freak. I have never had a mom before and I don't know how I should act around you."

"Ssshhhh." She said getting her own sobs under control. "I could never think that. Never ever. You are my baby boy and how I wish I could have taken you with me, leaving you in the leaf was a mistake. But it will not be one I will ever make with you ever again. You are with me now. You are where you belong."

Naruto happily smiled as he and Artemis embraced each other and when he leaned out to show his happy smile Artemis couldn't help but smile as well.

"You have your father's smile." She said in joy.

"Yeah everyone tells me I look a lot like dad but that I have a couple of features that I got from you." He said as Artemis played with the auburn streak in his hair. "I have so many things I want to ask you. So many things I want to know."

Artemis smiled at him before she linked her arm through his as they both wiped away their tear marks. "This time until tomorrow morning will be ours. I want to know all about your life as well and I want all the details, but let's go somewhere more private."

Naruto nodded and they were engulfed in a bright light before they disappeared from the tent.

They then reappeared on top of a hill few couple of miles away from the camp. Artemis led him to a certain spot before they both sat down beside each other, happy to finally be in the presence of one another.

"Your grandma said you always wanted to stargaze with me and that just happened to be one of my favorite pastimes." She said as Naruto smiled happily at her. "Come, look at the stars with me as we talk." She said as they both leaned back, never unlinking their arms as they shifted around a little to get comfy.

"So what would you like to ask me?" she asked as Naruto chuckled and took a moment to think since there were millions of things he wanted to ask and talk to her about. "But he quickly settled for the one that had been on his mind for some time now and he hoped his mom did not get to embarrassed when he asked it."

"Well I have always wanted to know." He said Artemis leaned in a little. "How did you and Dad fall in love?"

Artemis looked surprised before she blushed like a tomato that made Naruto laugh a little. "Naruto, you can't ask me that." She said a little embarrassed.

"But I really want to know. My dad must have been quite a character if he managed to get the biggest man hater in the world to fall in love with him. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"Oh trust me your father was a character. He was my true love as well as the biggest pain in the ass." She said as Naruto laughed at the description.

"Alright it was like this." She started as Naruto leaned in. "We met during my first to trip the Elemental Nations. I was nearby the village when we met and he got rid of some bandits for me. He took me to the leaf village and showed me where I could stay. I thanked him but he kept coming back every day to show me around and it was getting on my nerves." She said as Naruto tried not to laugh. "On more than one occasion I threatened to put an arrow in his ass."

"But the more time I spent with him, the more Minato began to grow on me and the more I began to enjoy his company."

"Then he asked me out on a date. Normally I would have said no immediately but he had proved to me that he was not like other men I had met and will admit that I was curious to what a date was like since I had never been on one before. He took me on top of the Hokage monument and had prepared a simple picnic where we could eat and watch the sunset across the village. It was very magical and I think that was when I started having feelings for him."

"We then became a couple about a week after that when we shared our first kiss. After that we were together for almost a year before I found out I was carrying you." She said as she flicked his nose.

"Did dadâ€¦..love me?" He asked as Artemis gave him a sad smile and stroked his cheek.

"He did. He was so happy when he found out he was going to be a father and he was so protective of me while I was carrying you. He went almost everywhere I went with you and happily put off his duties as Hokage when I had my checkups with you. Together in the house we lived in we had decorated your nursery together with grey walls that were almost silver like and your crib would have been right in the middle so that when the moon was high in the sky I could look down on you and make sure you were okay."

"So you would have left then. After I was born?" He asked sadly as she nodded.

"Yes, the law unfortunately states that we gods and goddess cannot raise any demi god child we have. So as soon as you were born I would have had to have left. If I had not then Zeus would have most likely come and forced me away which he did have to do in the end since I did not want to leave you after the Kyubi attack and Minato's death."

"So I would have had to have grown up without a mom anyway I look it." He asked since while he would have had his dad at least if things had not gone the way they did that night, a mom was something he would have wanted to have.

"Actually we had come up with someone to take that motherly role in your life." She said surprising him. "Have you ever wondered why your last name is Uzumaki?"

Naruto blinked for a moment and thought it over and now that she mentioned it, he did always wonder where Uzumaki had come from.

"Why do I have that as my last name?"

"Well you see, before me and your father was together he was in a previous relationship with a woman called Kushina Uzumaki. She and your father had known each other since their academy days and your father had even saved her from a kidnap attempt. They were together for about a year before they called it off since things just were not really working out for each other but they remained friends since they were each other's first love."

"Kushina and I became friends since she was a very strong woman in her own right and enjoyed putting men in their place, especially your father. When she found out who I was and that I was carrying you, it was decided that when I left, she would take over as the mother in your life and be the mother that you always deserved. She and Minato were more than happy to do so since they remained close to one another. In fact though most believe it was Jiraiya that gave you your name, it was actually Kushina since she liked the name and thought it fit."

'_Kushina Uzumaki.'_ He thought trying to see if he recognized the name but he could never recall ever meeting or being told about a Kushina Uzumaki ever. This was the first time hearing it.

"What happened to her?" He asked since he never knew her he guessed something must have happened to her.

"She died the night of the attack. You see before you, Kushina was in fact the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox." She said making him look at her in shock. "It might be why she was so happy to the notion of being your mother figure since the only time a seal is weak is when a Jinchuriki is in childbirth. Because of that fact the councils wanted to make sure Kushina never had children since they feared the Kyubi could break free."

"So they took her chance to be a mother away." He said angrily as she nodded. "But if she was the Jinchuriki then how did the Kyubi get released?"

Artemis frowned and looked up at the sky. "I don't know all the details since when the attack happened I was weak after just giving birth and so tired that I ended up unconscious about halfway through it."

"But from what I was told a man kidnapped Kushina as she made her way to the hospital to be with me during your birth in a orange mask. We can only guess he then ripped the Kyubi from her and she must have died in the process but again I do not know the full story. I only found out about her death the next day."

"Who was the man in the mask?"

Artemis shook her head. "I don't know who he was but whatever reason he had to attack the leaf, your father managed to defeat him and end him before he could cause any more damage."

Naruto nodded and just lay there looking up at the sky and he thought over the new information he was given and would probably tell Silena all about it later on. _'A man in an orange mask. I wonder who he was.'_

The mother-son duo lapsed into silence as they enjoyed each other's company and simply sat staring up at the sky. The night was beginning to get colder not that either felt it and they were beside each other still with an arm linked with one another's.

"So the huntersâ€¦" Naruto said and Artemis looked over at him. "They are a little intense."

Artemis frowned but nodded.

"Yes the girls have had difficulty adapting to the news of you being here. While some of the younger hunters are fine with it, my older ones are having a hard time accepting it."

"So I guess that girl Zoe is one of the older ones then."

"I know Zoe can be a littleâ€¦..intense like you put it but she has more a reason than any not to trust or like men in general. She has had over two thousand years to build her hate for men and it is almost resolute. She is the one that I have always been most worried with you meeting."

"Yeah I can see why, she does not seem to like me in the slightest."

Artemis sighed and scooted ever closer to her son.

"You just need to give her and the other hunters some time. They will accept you in time but you need to be patient."

"I hope so. I mean they are my family in a way, and in some weird way I guess they would be my sisters since you take them and give them a home right?" He asked as Artemis practically beamed at him when he called them his sisters.

"I hope they can accept that which I am sure they will. I know deep down I think they would like to be able to call you brother."

He nodded before it was Artemis who now asked a question. "So this daughter of Aphrodite you areâ€¦dating." She said as he nervously chuckled.

"Yeah Silena, she is pretty great huh?"

"Well I suppose though are you sure she is the right one for you?" she asked as he sighed a little.

"Mom I really care about Silena and I do love her just like she loves me. Besides Grandma Hestia likes her."

"Whether your Grandmother likes her or not, I know for a fact that children of Aphrodite tend to take after their mother. They play with people's feelings and they break hearts. I do not want to see this girl play with yours."

"She won't mom. She is not like other children of Aphrodite. She is trying to distance herself from those kinds of thoughts and since then she has become a very strong person. Lady Shima did teach her while we were on Mount Myoboku and as you saw she handled that Manticore pretty easily."

"What about Athena's daughter? Could some spark not be there?" She said since she wanted her son to be with a girl that she like, thought was respectful and more important was worthy of her son. She was not going to let just some ordinary tramp take her sons heart.

"Eww no, Annabeth's like my sister. It would be too weird."

Artemis huffed a little before nodding.

"Yes well never the less I will be keeping my eye on that girl." She said before Naruto shrugged.

The rest of the evening was spend with the two just casually talking and catching up, with Naruto telling Artemis all about his last two years in this world while Artemis told him about some of her adventures she had with the hunt.

Neither paid much attention to what the time was and neither really cared. They just enjoyed the first really time they had spent together in a very long time.

Eventually before it struck midnight Artemis teleported them back to her tent and made a second bed beside her for Naruto to sleep in since she wanted her son beside her for at least one night.

Most sixteen year olds would have found it odd and had said no, but Naruto could care less and he happily changed into some sleepwear his mother gave him and got into bed. Artemis got in the bed beside his and immediately grasped his hand into her as they settled for the night to go to sleep.

Naruto closed his eyes and began to feel himself drift off.

"Naruto."

He opened his eyes to see his mother eyes staring at him and watched them narrow at him.

"Yes mom?"

..

..

"Is that a tattoo?"

* * *

**Chapter Two Completed**

**So in this chapter I wanted to show that while some of the hunters are beginning to accept Naruto, the older ones such as Zoe are very stuck in their ways to give him a chance and it will cause some conflict between them later on.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Uncle Apollo**

Naruto stood patiently with a small smile on his face as he stood beside Artemis as they and the hunters and demi gods all stood on top of a nearby hill as they waited for dawn to arrive.

It was colder and darker then it usually was, proving that winter was in full effect in the cold December morning as everyone was wrapped up warmly in their jackets, making sure they fully zipped up to prevent getting sick.

On his left was Silena who had her arm entwined with his and then the other demi gods along with Grover standing behind them. Beside Artemis were Zoe and the rest of hunters.

The hunters had managed to put the camp away and take it all down as quick as they had put it up. It was rather impressive at how quick and efficient they had worked, once again proving why the monsters were known to greatly fear them.

From behind him, Naruto could hear Thalia, Percy and Grover talking to one another in hushed voices.

He scratched the back of his head happy the lump his mother had given him last night had gone. Artemis had been less then pleased about the tattoo and had chased him all over the tent before she finally got him and tried to get rid of it, but Naruto get squirming and getting out of her hold. Though she eventually let it go, she still gave him a good mother size bonk on the head.

"The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well. Normally the campers tend to just leave them be but the Hunters get bored quickly and they tend to pick fights when they can. They're always trying to show they are the top dogs."

"Well I think things might be a little differently this year." Annabeth said as she and Grover looked towards Naruto and Silena. Naruto because he was the strongest at camp and they knew in a battle the Hunters would not beat him. Zoe might have a good shot from her years of experience but in terms of raw power, Naruto had that in the bucket loads.

Plus with Silena and her new found strength, it would no doubt be a surprise for the hunters to see a child of Aphrodite stand up to them and not back down like most would have done.

Deep down, Annabeth could not wait for the capture the flag game because she knew this year there would be a new outcome.

"It's a little unfair how they treat Naruto though isn't it. He is Artemis's son yet most of them just glare at him." Percy said as Thalia snorted.

"And you're surprised. Naruto is their mistress's flesh and blood, something they would all kill to be. And the fact that he is a boy just makes it worse. They are jealous because they are not her most important thing in her life anymore."

Back in front Artemis sighed and rubbed her forehead. "He is sooooo lazy during the winter."

Naruto turned to look at her. "What is Uncle Apollo like? His kids at camp don't know much about him since he can't visit often or has no time to at least."

Artemis grimaced at the question since most new what a pain in the ass Apollo was to her most of the time. "Your Uncle is ratherâ€¦.eccentric, sometimes I wonder how we are even related, much less twins. He is a major flirt and flirts with pretty much any girl and he enjoys breaking the rules. He is self-centred, he is cocky and he is quite arrogant."

"But despite his faults he does do his duties, even if he slacks at them most times and unlike some other gods and goddesses he does claim all his children. Just be prepared when you meet him, he is more like a kid then a god." She said as Naruto nodded.

"So in a way he is the opposite of you." He said as Artemis thought it over before shrugging.

"That's one way of looking at it though at I am at least respectable and presentable." She said as Naruto just smiled at his mom before he gave her a kiss on the cheek before looking back at the sky.

Artemis smiled at the action and once again linked her arms through his and kept her son close to her since they would have to be separated once more when her twin arrived.

From behind them, some of the hunters looked at Naruto in jealousy at how close he was to their mistress while Zoe gritted her teeth a little.

"So does he really drive a sun chariot?" He asked since he had heard the legend of his uncle pulling a chariot across the sky.

"Yes he does though knowing Apollo it's probably turned into some kind of car or motorcycle. Depends what his pick of the week is."

"So do you have a chariot too or is that just him?"

"I do as well but unlike my brother I prefer to keep it as a chariot since I enjoy the air hitting my face and the freedom it gives me when I'm driving it." She said smiling at the very thought. "If you like perhaps when we next see each other I can give you a ride in it."

Naruto eyes brows show up and a big smile appeared on his face as he nodded his head. "I would really like that." He said quietly as now it as Artemis who leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek.

From the side and behind him Silena, Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Bianca and Nico all smiled as they watched the mother and son happily talk away with one another and were happy that Naruto had finally got a chance to connect with his mother, even if it was just for a short time.

With Bianca and Nico they both wondered who their Olympian parents was and hoped that whoever it was they would be as welcoming and as loving as Artemis was to Naruto.

A few moments later everyone saw sky begin to lighten and the first small bits of the sun began to rise. "It's about time." Artemis said as she unlinked her arm and crossed them.

As they watched the horizon a strong light hit them along with a strong warmth that caught Naruto and the others a little of guard though the hunters remained as stoic as ever.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until he parks." She advised them as they all followed her orders as did the Hunters.

Naruto could feel the light and the heat intensity and it made him want to unzip his jacket as he found himself beginning to sweat from the sudden intense heat. Everyone else was beginning to feel the same way.

However just as quick as it came, it suddenly disappeared and the cold air was all he felt once again.

Slowly everyone began to open their eyes and look in front of them.

In front of them was a red convertible Maserati Spyder and Naruto could hear Percy saying "That's the car I always wanted."

They noticed the car was glowing because the metal was so hot and it had made the snow all around the car completely melt away and looked like snow had never been there in the first place. Beneath their feet was now green grass that was a little bit wet, the only remnants of the snow from just moments ago.

The passengers door open and who they could only guess was Apollo stepped out of it.

Apollo looked around eighteen to nineteen years of age and had sandy blonde hair and tanned skin with very outdoorsy good looks. He was taller than Naruto was and had a very playful smile on his face, like he had just been up to no good. He wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.

Naruto had to admit after how his mom described him he kind of looked what he had imagined though he was surprised at how many physical resemblances he had with his uncle with the tanned skin and blue eyes.

"He's hot." Thalia muttered.

"Well he is the sun god." Percy answered.

Around the demi gods rolled their eyes at what he said while the hunters were openly glaring at Apollo who was happily making his way towards Artemis.

"Yo little sis, how is it going?" He said happily as he showed off his pearly white teeth as he put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "You never call or write to me anymore. It hurts my feelings."

Artemis groaned and removed his arm from around her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

"Hey, I was born first."

"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argueâ€"?"

"So what's up?" He interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"

Naruto couldn't believe how sibling like these two were yet at the same time they were so different with seemingly being laid back and relaxed while his mom was more serious and respectful. He tried to stop a chuckle from leaving his mouth but it failed.

Apollo turned around and looked at Naruto for a moment as if he was trying to place him.

He tapped his chin before his eye widened and his smile went so large that his face would have broken if it went any higher.

"LITTLE NEPHEW!" He called out as he grabbed Naruto in a tight bear hug and lifted him off the ground.

"Finally I get to meet my little nephew. Here I thought you and Hestia were keeping him all to yourselves. Not anymore, Uncle Apollo is here now and I am here to stay." He said as he began spinning around making Naruto laugh a little before he gave his mom a pleading look.

From behind him the demi gods all looked amused and Annabeth and Silena did their best to contain their laughter with their hands but of course giggles would make it way through them.

"Apollo put him down this instant." Artemis demanded as Apollo pouted at his sister before he begrudgingly put him down as Naruto tried to regain his footing and cracked his back. His Uncle was stronger than he looked.

"Aww come on Arty this is the first time I have met my nephew and he is probably the only nephew I'm gonna get from you after all." He said making Artemis scowl at him and cross her arms again making her look all serious.

Apollo saw the look on his sister's face and sighed. "Fine Artemis, what is it you need?"

Artemis gritted her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure, sis!" He said as he smiled happily while Naruto leaned in to whisper in Artemis's ear.

"Uncle Apollo is a littleâ€¦weird." He said as Artemis snorted a little chuckled under breath thinking how right Naruto was.

"You have no idea how right you are." She said as Apollo raised his hands in a stop everything gesture.

"I feel a haiku coming on."

Artemis and the hunters all groaned as soon as he spoke and made Naruto and the others raise an eyebrow all looking at the Sun God questioningly while said god cleared his throat and made a dramatic pose.

_"Green grass breaks through snow."_

_"Artemis pleads for my help."_

"_I am so cool."_

He looked at them all looking as if he was waiting for their applause but none came and no one looked very impressed. Well no one but Nico but Bianca was stopping him from clapping since it was not that great. It led to making Apollo pout like a child.

"The last line was only four syllables." Artemis and Naruto said in unison and smiled at each when they noticed.

Apollo tapped his chin in thought, no doubt trying to come up with something new so Naruto beat him to the punch since no one looked like they wanted to hear another one.

"Why don't you just say _And I will help them_. That's five syllables and it matches what you have been saying." Naruto added as Apollo looked at Naruto with an emotionless face before Naruto found himself engulfed in another hug which only made him groan.

"My nephew knows the ways of the haiku. I feel so proud that I could spread this greatness." He said before he got a whack on the back of the head by Artemis.

"Pay attention block head." Artemis said as Apollo nursed his head. "These demi gods will also be needing a ride to the camp. They are some of Chiron's campers."

"Sure no problem sis; any friend of my nephew and my children are okay with me. Now let's see who we have here." he said as he began scanning amongst the demi gods.

He stopped at Thalia first. "Hey your Thalia right?"

"Hi, Lord Apollo." She said a little shyly as Apollo was grinning at her.

"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half-sister; used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees."

"He is not very subtle is he?" Naruto said to Artemis who just shook her head.

"Let's seeâ€¦oh and we have Annabeth Chase, Athena's golden girl. You know you know you're going to be quite the looker when you're older." he said raising his eyebrows.

It made Annabeth blush and shuffle in her spot while Percy glared at him as did Naruto who was really hoping his Uncle was not going to perve on his little sister figure. Artemis meanwhile looked ready to rip his head off as did the hunters.

Then he got to Percy and instead of making some kind of joke he just narrowed his eyes and for a moment he had a look of seriousness on his face. "Percy Jackson?"

Now Percy shuffled on the spot since the look Apollo gave him made him feel a little uneasy. "Yeah. I meanâ€¦yes, sir."

Apollo looked like he was going to say more but decided against it. Instead of meeting the rest f the group he decided to skip them much to their delight and relief. Silena especially since she did not want Apollo to hit on her with Naruto in front of them. That would not go well.

"Well!" he said. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one wayâ€"west. And if you miss it, you miss it."

Everyone looked over to the car and the demi gods all wondered how they were all going to fit in it. Apollo chuckled and clicked his fingers as the car shined brightly making most cover their eyes. Once the shining stopped, in the cars place was a shuttle bus.

"Alright everyone on board." Apollo said as Zoe began to lead the hunters on first while Artemis gave Apollo a good talking too.

"You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters."

"Right, right I know Artemis." He said waving his hand before he went forward, grabbed Naruto arm and began dragging him away a little ways off.

"Apollo what are you doing and where are you taking my son?" She asked glaring at her twin.

"I just need to have a quick talk with Naruto. It's something I really need to speak with him about. It shouldn't take long." He said as Artemis gritted her teeth. She would give those five minutes before she got her dumb ass of a brother away from her innocent son.

**With Naruto and Apollo**

Naruto stayed quiet as his uncle walked him a few hundred yards away from the group as the demi gods all began to pile on to the bus as well. Eventually they stopped and his uncle turned around to look at him.

"Now Naruto first off I would like to say it's great to finally meet you he. Since Artemis is my little sis I am happy to know she finally knows what it is like to have a child of her own." He said as Naruto smiled at him.

"Oh well thanks. To be honest I had always wondered what you were like since the camp usually says your one of the nicer, more laid back gods."

"Well someone has to be, they are so serious up there and gets so stuffy too." He said as he waved it off. "Now Artemis told the others gods and I about your father and know there are only some things that a boy can tell to another guy. I would like you to know that if you ever need a guy to talk to and to vent on then let me know. Since your father is not with us then I feel that as your Uncle I must step in."

Naruto looked a little surprised. "Well thanks Uncle Apollo, thatâ€¦.that actually means a lot to me, to know that I have you watching out for me like that."

Apollo smiled at his nephew as he patted his shoulder.

"With that being said I feel I must also ask this of you." He said as Naruto leaned in. "That daughter of Aphrodite, is she your girlfriend?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the question but he slowly nodded to confirm the answer.

"That's good; it means I am right in telling you this." Apollo said as he stood straight and gave Naruto a knowing look. Naruto couldn't help but feel a bubble of dread growing in his gut.

"You see Naruto, when a man and a woman love each otherâ€¦.."

**Back at the Shuttle Bus**

Artemis sat on one of the shuttle bus steps as she waited for her brother to finish talking to her son, wondering what in the world he had to speak to him about.

In the bus Percy sat with Annabeth and Nico while Thalia sat beside Bianca and Grover. Silena was on her own waiting for Naruto to return and take the seat next to her.

Right at the back the Hunters sat right at the back keeping to themselves a few whispering to one another while the rest just sort of sat there staring at the window. Zoe and the older hunters looked towards Artemis who was waiting at the step and scowled a little since they believed that hunting the creature that Artemis was worried about was more important than waiting for some boy, even if he was her son.

The silence on the hill top was quickly ruined when Naruto called out.

"NO NO NO! I AM NOT LISTENING TO THIS! LA LA LA LA LA! I AM NOT LISTENING, LA LA LA!" He said as everyone looked over to see Naruto running away from Apollo who was chasing after him.

"NO LITTLE NEPHEW YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS!" Apollo called out as he tried to chase him down.

"APOLLO WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO HIM!" Artemis shouted looking at angry at her twin as Naruto raced towards them.

"HE'S TRYING TO GIVE ME THE SEX TALK!" He said as everyone who was talking before now went silent.

After a few seconds the demi gods all started cracking up and laughing while Silena was blushing like a tomato and tried to hide her face in her hands.

Thalia and Annabeth clapping her shoulder were not making it any easier. If anyone back at camp heard about this then they would not let them live it down.

From behind the Hunters looked amused and a few snickered.

"Apolloâ€¦" Apollo heard as he noticed Artemis have a dark aura around her as she glared at her brother with eyes zoning in on him.

"Uh oh." he said before Artemis came at him in great speed and tackled him to the ground and began choking him with a chain.

Naruto stood next to the bus having stopped running ad watched as his mother beat up his goofy uncle and shook his head. For a few minutes he just sort of stood there waiting for them to come back over while scowling that he could hear Thalia and Percy still laughing.

A few minutes later Apollo limped past him and got on the bus while Artemis tided herself as she wiped away some of the golden ichor of her knuckles.

"The nerve of that idiot." She muttered before she stopped and her attitude turned a full 180 as she now looked at Naruto with a soft gaze.

"I-I have to get going. The more time I spend here, the more risk Olympus will be in if I don't find this creature." She said as Naruto nodded.

"I know but do you have to go alone? Can't you let me come with you? I can help." He asked as she smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I would love to hunt with you Naruto, but now is not the time. I must find this creature on my own and I must use everything I know about hunting to do so."

Naruto sighed but he understood what she meant. "When will I see you again?" He asked since he just did not want to be away from her when he had only just finally got to her.

"I'm not sure." She said honestly, "But now that we have met I can see you a from time to time. Though it will not be often and not as much as your grandmother can visit you, but when I have some spare time from my duties I promise I will visit you and we can spend more time together. It's a promise. A promise of a lifetime."

Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She did the same as she held her son close since neither knew when the next time they would be able to do so would be.

After a few moments they broke the hug and Artemis kissed him on the forehead. "I am watching you always. I'm always watching over you, my little moon and stars." She said before she gave him one last smile before she turned around and sprinted off into the woods nearby.

Naruto watched her go and once she disappeared he turned around and got on the bus. He took the seat beside Silena who wrapped her hand with his.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded as she squeezed his hand. "I'm fine. Just glad I got the chance to finally meet her." He said as Silena smiled as gave him a quickly peck on the lips before they made themselves comfortable.

Apollo sat up in his chair looking like he was ready to go before he turned around and looked at the demi gods.

"So, who wants to drive?" He asked making Naruto now know this small trip back to camp was not going to be as quiet as he thought it would be.

"Oh I will." Nico said but Bianca put his hands down while Apollo laughed.

"Sorry kid you're a little too young." He said as Nico pouted.

"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.

"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry."

He then looked towards Percy and Thalia, Thalia looked like she really did not want to get picked and tried to make sure Apollo did not get in her line of sight.

"I'll do it." Naruto said suddenly making everyone look at him while making Apollo grin like a maniac.

"Alright little nephew, now that's stepping up." He said as he got out of his seat and led Naruto over to the seat and put him in front of the wheel.

"How exactly does it run, I mean I can't imagine you can pull the sun up into a local gas station?" He asked as he looked over the front of the wheel and Apollo laughed.

"No, no nothing like that. My chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun. It's as old as the Western Civilization if not more so. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those little mortal lives that live on the land beneath us. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"

"Urm I guess so; though you could have just said it was solar powered." He said as everyone including the hunters snickered.

"Fine, you are so much like Arty little nephew. You take the fun out of everything." Apollo pouted before he took the seat just behind Naruto so that he could guide him and make sure he did not crash the chariot.

Though Apollo did lean over for a moment to hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. It read WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.

"Is this really okay for him to be driving?" Silena asked Apollo since she did not know if Naruto had any past experience driving vehicles of any kind what so ever.

"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip." He said laughing though no one else joined in with him."

"Go ahead little nephew, let's get going." Apollo said patting him on the back as Naruto played around with the clutch to get it right before he pushed down on the gas and started moving.

"Speed equals heat." Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up." He said as Naruto nodded while keeping his eyes on the road.

Once Naruto felt they had gotten enough speed he tilted the wheel back and the bus slowly but efficiently went into the air.

When Naruto felt he had gone high enough he kept it in a calm speed while taking a quick peek out the window as did everyone else.

Beneath them were rings of trees that they had taken off from and had left behind.

Everyone looked calm and happy at the speed they were going in while Apollo looked a little bored. Naruto gave his Uncle a questioning look.

"This is a little boring. Come on little nephew, be more lively." He asked pleadingly making Naruto smirk thinking he could prove too his energetic uncle that he was not as boring as he thought.

After few minutes Naruto noticed a highway down beneath them. "Uncle Apollo, do mortals see the sun chariot?" He asked as Apollo shook his head.

"No the mist covers it. Why?"

Naruto smirked again and pushed down on the accelerator. Everyone in the bus noticed the sudden increase in speed. He then leaned over and flicked the radio on which insistently was AC/DC's song You Want Blood.

"Naruto why are we speeding up?" Silena asked a little worryingly when she saw the glint in his eyes.

"You might want to hold on to something." He said before all of a sudden the bus did a nose dive making many suddenly yelp and scream.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Apollo cried out as the bus rocked down to earth at great speed and was only getting faster.

"PULL UP, PULL UP!" Annabeth cried out as they got to about a hundred feet to the ground; when it got to seventy Naruto suddenly pulled up, narrowly missing the ground and shooting forward at tremendous speed.

"NARUTO I AM KICKING YOUR ASS WHEN WE GET TO CAMP!" Thalia shouted out but it only made Naruto and the others laugh at her flustered look.

Naruto pulled back into the air after his little stunt, missing the glare some of the hunters were giving him.

Some looked out the windows again and now down below the bus was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. As they watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.

"Pull up more little nephew." Apollo said as Naruto nodded and mentally saying sorry to the people who roofs were now on fire.

"Look out for the billboard." Apollo cried out as Naruto turned back in front of him to see a giant cereal ad billboard appear in front of him he swerved out of the way making many cry out and jolt around from the sudden turn.

The bus ended up back on the freeway and headed under a large tunnel where construction was currently going on with signs indicating that the road was blocked.

"THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" Nico cried out while Grover and Thalia held onto each other tightly with Annabeth and Bianca doing the same and Percy holding onto the side. Silena meanwhile shook her head as she sat peacefully on her seat with her arms crossed and seat belts securely fastened something the others seemed to have forgotten.

"Oh that's not good." Naruto said as the road ahead was blocked off and only a small gab was open. The bus will never make it.

"Pull the lever." Apollo said as Naruto looked over and without asking why, he pulled it.

As he did the inside of the bus suddenly began getting narrow which made Naruto, Annabeth and Percy groan.

'_Not this again.'_ They thought since it was the same thing the three sisters did in the taxi during the summer.

When they hit the small gab the bus slowly got smaller and tighter as it squeezed through the narrow gab. From then insides most groaned and the feelings it was giving them and made them feel uneasy.

"I don't feel too good." Bianca said as she clutched her stomach and her face looked a little green. Grover and Thalia looked like they were feeling similar things.

"I forgot how much I hated this." Percy winced out as at the back the hunters were mumbling and a few looked a little green as well but were doing better than the demi gods were.

After a couple more seconds they got through the gap and the inside went back to normal much to everyone's relief.

When they exited the tunnel Naruto managed to avoid some incoming cars before he got back to a safe height.

"He he, sorry about that." He said scratching the back of his head while the demi gods glared at him as did the hunters.

From that point everything else went silent as everyone waited patiently for them to arrive at camp with the regular demi gods anxious to get home while Bianca and Nico looked forward to seeing what their new home looked like. The hunters though were dreading it and were mentally preparing themselves.

"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."

Naruto looked forwards and smiled when he saw Half Blood hill just coming into distance as well as the cabins and the big house becoming visible. After six months away he was happy to finally be back home where he hoped he could have a little time to wind down and cool off.

"There it is." Percy said as Bianca and Nico looked out the wonder and their eyes sparkled a little when they saw it.

"Alright now slowly descend in and land just beside the strawberry fields." Apollo said to Naruto as he pointed towards the spot he wanted him to land.

Naruto landed and figured the time for joking around was over and now took it seriously. Slowly he began to lower the bus down towards the ground as they got closer to the camp. Everyone could feel the bus slowly lowering down and getting slower in speed as they watched as they flew over the hill.

Eventually they got to the spot where they wanted to land and Naruto carefully pushed on the brake as the bus touched back down on the ground and rolled along the ground. Slowly it stopped and ended up a couple of meters beside the giant lake.

From around them they could see the nature spirits and satyrs that resided at the camp noticed the bus and went away from it since it was giving off a lot of heat that was melting the snow from beneath them like it did back in Maine.

"Alright here we are. Good job little nephew that was some fine driving." Apollo said as he clapped Naruto on the shoulder. The bus door opened and Naruto stood up from his seat.

As he did though he turned to face everyone, but instead was met by Thalia who barreled towards him and jumped him. Naruto stumbled and fell out of the bus with Thalia on top of him while having him in a headlock.

"YOU JERK! I TOLD YOU I WOULD GET YOU FOR THAT STUNT FROM EARLIER!" She shouted at him as Apollo and the other demi gods laughed as Thalia dunked his head in snow. The Hunters at the back of the bus looked amused at the scene.

Naruto didn't fight back and instead was laughing along with everyone else, forgetting the temper Thalia had.

As she pushed his head into the snow he looked up to see the camp in front of him, smiling as he did. "I'm home."

* * *

**Chapter Three Completed**

**Sorry that this chapter is ab it shorter then normal but Lately I have been having trouble trying to extend the chapters to the length they normally are which is around 7000 words. Since I am struggling with that I am finding that If i try and force something into the story just to make it longer, mistakes will be made and will seem more rushed. So some of the chapters will be around this length.**

**Pus even though I have read the books, Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters are the two I have best knowledge of, so im currently reminding myself what happens in each book and chapter. **

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Back To Old Habits**

The demi-gods all walked together as they trekked through the snow and slowly made their way to the big house where they were sure to find Mr. D and Chiron.

Naruto and Silena linked their arms together as they looked at how pretty the camp currently looked in the snow. Since both were only here for the summers normally, it was different to see it in such a different season, not that it was bad or anything.

The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House.

"It's so pretty." Silena said as the girls all agreed with her as they walked huddled together.

"I have been so focused the last few months that I completely forgot that it's nearly Christmas. If I had known I would have done some Christmas shopping."

"I think we have all had things on our mind lately that we forgot." Thalia added walking beside Annabeth. "With everything that has been going on I think Christmas has been the last thing on everyone's mind."

As they headed towards their destination they saw Grover come back to their group after he had offered to lead the hunters to cabin eight. Zoe has refused but Grover did it anyway much to their annoyance. When he came back, he had a black eye and a few bruises.

"Grover did the hunters do that to you?" Thalia asked gritting her teeth and looking ready to march over there and start picking a fight.

"Its fine, I probably talked too much." He said but everyone frowned. Bianca who was standing beside Annabeth frowned a little. If that was how the hunters treated people then she was glad she did not join them.

"Well either way if they do that again you let us know and we'll have words with them." Silena said cracking her knuckled showing everyone she was not afraid to get in the faces of hunters.

Naruto meanwhile hoped a confrontation did not happen since while he knew his mother cared greatly for the hunters and therefore to an extent, so did Naruto, but this right here was his family. If the hunters were to hurt or bully one of them then he would step in if necessary.

"You think we should have brought the hunters with us to see Chiron?" Percy asked as most of their group turned around and gave him a look of are you serious.

"I doubt it Percy. They looked ready to combust when they got off the bus. I think it will be best we just leave them be. I would prefer that they did not try to burn any of the cabins down the moment they arrive." Naruto answered.

"That and being turned into pin cushions." Annabeth added.

"In that case we should probably make sure the Stolls stay clear of them. Hades know what those two would have planned if they catch wind that the hunters are at camp."

Everyone shuddered at the thought. The Stolls and the hunters were not a combination that mixed. It was like oil and water.

They then lapsed into silence as before they listened to Nico speak excitedly at all the things around the camp.

"Whoa is that a climbing wall with lava coming down it?"

"Yes, it's something to give us more of a challenge." Percy said as Nico bounced around like a kid on sugar.

They all laughed at how excited he was before lapsing into silence again.

Apollo had left the moment they all got out of the bus and had wished them all well. He gave his nephew a hair ruffle and made Naruto blush madly when his uncle slipped a condom in his pocket telling him to play safe.

The others wondered what had him so red but he quickly dismissed it saying he was just hot from the heat of the car. Bidding them farewell Apollo turned the shuttle bus back into the Maserati Spyder and disappeared in a flash of light.

Naruto looked around the camp and since this was the first time he had been to the camp when not in the summer, he was surprised at how empty it was. The only one currently here was the year rounder's.

Outside the Hephaestus Cabin was Beckendorf who gave them a wave as they walked past. Ino to Naruto's surprise was still here with a two of the other members of the Demeter cabin and waved at Naruto when she spotted him.

'_I'm surprised she is here. I'll ask her why she stayed later.'_ He thought.

The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, from the Hermes cabin, were picking the lock on the camp store. Annabeth promptly threw a snowball at their heads and told them to quit it before they took off running back into the Hermes cabin.

A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest but when they saw them, Silena frowned.

"Where's Clarisse? She's usually a year rounder so she should be here. You don't think something happened to her do you?" She asked as Naruto gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry I am sure she is fine. We can ask Chiron when we get to the big house. I'm sure he has the answer." He said as Silena nodded though it did not take away the uneasy look on her face.

When they neared the big house they all noticed it was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate, which made all of them smile and closed their eyes. The scene was warm and soothing.

On the front porch as usual was Chiron and Mr. D who were busy playing a quiet came of cards. Chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoof print design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.

Mr D though looked no different and as usual was wearing his leopard print shirt with a diet coke in his hand, his substitute drink since he could not drink alcohol.

As they got to the steps Chiron looked up and his face changed into one of happiness and smiled as the returning and new demi-gods.

"You are all back and you were successful I take it?" He asked as Percy, Thalia, Annabeth and Grover nodded. "Naruto, Silena it's nice to have you back at long last. I was not sure I would see either of you again until the summer."

"We finished earlier like we hoped and we wanted to come home." Silena said as Chiron smiled warmly when she said home.

"Well it's nice to have you both back." He said as he then turned to Nico and Bianca who were staring at him in surprise. "And you must be the two new demi-gods?" He asked looking at them with kind eyes which made them both relax a little.

"Yes sir. I'm Bianca and this is my little brother Nico" She introduced as he nodded his head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my dear. My name is Chiron and I am the activities director here at Camp Half Blood meaning most of the training you will receive here will be headed by myself."

They both nodded before he looked back at the large group. "There was no problems I hope."

"Nothing we couldn't handle though we did not come back alone." Annabeth said as she huffed a little making Thalia and Silena grin.

"The Hunters came with us. We ran into Lady Artemis and she told her lieutenant that they are to stay in camp until she says otherwise."

Everyone watched as Chiron's face dropped a little at the news while Mr. D groaned loudly. "Well this is unexpected but I suppose they were due for a visit eventually."

"You sound like you don't like them Chiron?" Thalia asked grinning still.

"Oh it's not that my dear, I greatly respect the Hunters and the work they do, it's just they tend to cause a bit of unnecessary trouble with the camp when they are around. The last time they were here we had to rebuild two of our cabins and said gods of those cabins were not impressed."

They looked over at Annabeth who explained.

"Some Ares and Aphrodite children made fun of them and argued with them a lot. The hunters responded by torching their cabins just as they left. It caused Ares and Aphrodite to be extremely angry at Artemis and apparently told her to keep the girls in line or they would make them pay."

"They just sound like more work." Naruto said as he rubbed his head and they looked at him in sympathy.

"Yeah you kind of need to get along with them otherwise things are just going to be mighty awkward between them and you. I don't think Artemis will like having to choose between the two." Thalia added as she patted him on the back.

"Have they already moved in?" Chiron asked as Annabeth nodded. He turned to look at Naruto.

"I believe we had a conversation when you were first claimed what we would do if the Hunters ever visited." He said as Naruto nodded. "In that case it might be best if you move into one of the others cabin temporarily. At least until they are gone."

"So do any of you mind putting me up for a while?" he asked turning to look at the others. Annabeth was the first to look like she was going to answer with Thalia and Percy following quickly after them.

However they were quickly shot down by Silena when she glared at them, before turning and wrapping her arm with Naruto's.

"He will be staying with me. I know my mother won't mind him being in our cabin."

Chiron coughed a little. "Urm perhaps that would not be a good idea since you two areâ€¦..together correct? It might not be the best thing to do." Chiron asked but Silena gave him a glare.

"He is staying in my cabin and that's that." She said as she tightened her arm around him almost possessively.

Chiron looked ready to state otherwise but Mr. D finally voiced up. "Let them be Chiron. You are not going to win." He said lazily. "Besides if she gets knocked up then that's their own fault."

Naruto and Silena nearly tripped over their own feet and blushed like tomatoes. "We haven't done anything like that." They both said trying to look away from everyone.

"Good thing too. We don't need any little Naruto or Silena's around camp just yet." Grover added making the group laugh while they glared at the satyr, promising him pain later on.

Seeing this Chiron glanced towards Bianca and Nico and then looked back too Grover. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"Butâ€¦ Oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG?' Cause Bianca is kinda strictâ€""

"I would prefer Nico not watched anything above his age criteria. I don't need him having nightmares." Bianca said firmly and crossing her arms showing a bit of confidence and acted almost as if she was his mom.

"It's PG-13." Grover said and Bianca frowned and then looked towards Chiron.

"Is there is a lot of blood in it or a large amount of swearing?" She asked as Chiron shook his head.

"Only a minor amount of blood and there is no swearing." He said as Bianca nodded and tapped her chin before sighing.

"Hmm fine I guess it will be fine for him to watch." She said making Nico smile at her happily. Grover then led the two new kids away and towards the orientation room.

When they left Chiron looked towards the group remaining. "With the hunters here I guess the friendly capture the flag game will be up again. I would like you all to go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag. Will that really be necessary?" Naruto asked as Chiron nodded.

"It's a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."

"Yeah." Thalia muttered. "I bet its real friendly."

"Come one we have to beat them for once. They have fifty victories while we have zero. We have to beat them at least once." Annabeth pleaded since she really was sick of losing to them and she wanted to show them just how more skilled and efficient they were now.

That and she wanted Naruto to totally kick their asses.

"Then decide amongst you who you want to be captain." Chiron asked as he wheeled around and went back to his game of cards with Mr. D.

Everyone nodded and walked away from the big house as they all looked at Naruto expectantly while he just looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Annabeth and everyone all looked at each other before they all nodded to one another. "We want you to be captain." She said.

The color drained from his face a little as he heard what she said and he groaned as well. "Why me? They hate me enough as it is."

"Because you are the best one qualified to lead us against them. Who better to lead us against the hunters then the son of the huntress himself. Plus you are a shinobi, they are not. You know how to trap, to track, how to be stealthy and therefore you know how they think."

Naruto frowned but he could see where she was coming from.

"Plus you and Silena are not the only one's who has trained over the last six months. We have all upped our training and we are much stronger then we were in the summer. We can do this and finally end the streak of being beaten by them. I want to stop them from always looking down on us."

The group murmured in agreement as Naruto rubbed his forehead.

"You might as well. You know this is not going to be a battle you will win, especially when she has her mind set on something." Silena added leaning into him. "Besides even if you were not the captain, they would still focus more attention on you anyway. No doubt they want to find out if their mistress's son is as great as people say he is."

"You realize they will probably try and turn me into a walking pin cushion don't you?" He said as they all nodded happily. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll be captain."

"Good." Annabeth said happily before she sprinted towards her cabin. "Then you can tell them about tomorrow. Good luck." She said before she disappeared inside.

"Wait hang onâ€¦" He said shaking his head and turning around to face everyone but saw everyone had already raced to their cabins and ran inside, none of them wanting to tell the hunters about the game the next day or have to talk to them in general.

He looked to the Aphrodite cabin and saw Silena standing in the doorway. "Come here after you have finished. Remember this is where you are staying." She said before she closed the door behind her.

Naruto just stood there a little dumbfounded before he pouted. "You guys suck."

He looked over to cabin eight and took a deep breath before he began marching over.

As he got closer to the cabin he could hear the hunters talking quietly amongst themselves.

Just as he was about to reach the cabin two large blurs hit him at full force and knocked him down. He groaned a little and he would have attacked but felt two large tongues lick his face leaving slobber all over it.

"Luna, Tiber get off." He said laughing as he pushed their heads away and stood up. He looked towards the two Dire Wolves.

Looking at them right now he wondered what the heck the wood nymphs has been feeding them because instead of the little pups he had met one and half years ago that he could fit in his palm was now two large dire wolves the size of a donkey. They were still not quite full grown yet but they were getting close. They both came up to his chest and could probably put a child on their backs.

_"You have been gone too long again."_ Luna said as Naruto patted her head and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I just had something to take care of a few things back in my old home. But I'm back for good now." He said as she whined happily as Luan nuzzled into him as did Tiber onto his other side.

"Come on you two can come with me. I think I'm going to need the back up when I deal with these girls," he said as he continued his way to the cabin with Luna and Tiber now following behind him.

He reached the door a couple of second later and took a deep breath before he knocked on the door three times before he took a step back.

After he knocked he heard everything go quiet inside the cabin and after a few seconds heard light footsteps heading towards the door. After a moment the door opened up and showed Zoe Nightshade standing there.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw him. "What do you-" She started before she noticed the two giant wolves standing beside him looking at her curiously, their yellow eyes staring right at her. From behind Zoe some of the other hunters saw him and the two wolves and marveled the site of the wolves.

"Look I know you don't like me but I am here just to ask you of two things. Will you hear me out without pushing me away?" He asked carefully as Zoe shook her head out of her daze before she stood tall and proud and gave him a small nod.

"First Chiron wants me to let you know that tomorrow will be the capture the flag game." He said as she nodded though she had to fight a smirk.

"Yes I had a feeling we would be extending our streak while we were here. The camp seems to enjoy losing."

Instead of getting angry like she thought he would he just rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "Yeah whatever. The second thing is I need to get a bag of clothes from my room. May I come in for five minutes so I can collect them?"

Zoe looked at him carefully as trying to figure out if he was telling some kind of lie or if he was trying to trick them but she saw no deceit from him. After a moment she nodded and stood to the side allowing him to come inside.

As he walked in and made his way to his room, he saw all the hunters look at him, some in curiosity and others glaring. What he could tell about it was about fifty/fifty on curiosity and hate amongst them which he had to take for now.

"Luna, Tiber come in for a minute but don't make a mess to their things." He said as he got to his door and opened it. From the front door Luna and Tiber padded in as they drew the hunters attention.

While Naruto packed something into a bag as well as put a few bits into his trophy cabinet, he kept his eye on the two dire wolves in the main room and saw some of the hunters standing close to them but looking a little nervous to go all the way up to them.

A younger hunter who looked about eleven looked most curious and he saw her hand flexing a little as if wanting to pet them. He saw Luna staring at her two and tilts her head curiously at the younger girl.

He smiled at the little interaction. "You can stroke them if you like." He said catching all their attentions. "They don't mind. Luna said you can approach her as long as you don't stroke to hard while Tiber says if you give him a treat then you can do the same."

The younger girls all nodded as they gently approached Tiber and Luna while they all got a few treats out for Tiber who eyed them curiously.

They slowly patted their heads and their fur and the younger hunters smiled as Luna and Tiber whined a little in approval from the action and licked some of the girl's hand making them laugh at the slobbery tongues.

Naruto smiled as he watched the interaction as he packed his bag full of clothes and a few other odd bits and pieces before he figured he had enough. He slung it over his back and went out of him room and closed it.

As he walked past the girls, he patted the two giant wolves on the head, signalizing it was time to go and both Luna and Tiber got up and began following him out as the younger girls looked a little disappointed.

"See you all at lunch." Naruto said as he was about to exit the cabin.

"Wait." Zoey called as she got his attention. "About meal times. I think it would be best if you do not sit at the Artemis table. We don't want problems to occur." She said as some of the older looking girls with her nodded in agreement and sent him a glare as if saying 'try and argue with us.'

Beside him Luna and Tiber growled and took a step forward towards ZoÃ« and the older hunters which made them look at the two fearfully and touch the hunting knives on their waists to defend themselves if necessary.

Naruto though calmed them down by placing his hands on both their heads. "Take it easy you two." He said as it successfully calmed them both down. "They mean no harm."

"Very well if it makes you all uncomfortable then I will sit at another table. However I would prefer to eat at my mother's table in the forcible future so you may have to get use to the fact that I am here." He said hoping to convince them to stop hating him and let him back in his own cabin.

As he turned around and left he heard some of the older hunters snort and mutter that it was never going to happen though the younger lot of the hunters which was about half seemed to be contemplating it.

'_At least I have a shot with some of them.'_ He thought since it was better than nothing and made his way to the Aphrodite cabin.

When he got there he saw Silena and two of her sisters in the cabin, the rest currently at their own homes with their parents. She looked at him expectantly.

"So how did it go?"

"Well I'm alive so I guess that is a victory in itself. Though I will probably be joining you at your table as well." He said as Silena frowned. "The older hunters have made it clear they do not want me around."

"Where do they get off telling you can't stay in your mother cabin or your mothers table. You're her flesh and blood not them."

"Yes well they don't seem to agree with that fact. Though I think the younger members of the hunters are coming around. I think the older hunters are just so set in their ways that they just do not want to accept it."

"Its childish is what it is. And that Zoe girl, Thalia told me all about her. She really is a miserable old cow. She has a stick permanently shoved up her butt." She said as she pouted and crossed hers arms as Naruto leaned in and pecked her on the lips making her two sister who were watching them smile and aww at the scene.

"You fancy going to the stadium and get some training done instead of going to meal time? I don't really feel like dealing with them staring and glaring at me."

His answer was a sly grin on the face of Silena as she began putting her training gear on as Naruto went into the bathroom to change as well.

* * *

**Later On**

The hunters all sat around the Artemis cabin eating, talking and playing, making enough noise that made some of the other campers keep turning to looked at them and see what they were doing since they were being very noisy about it.

Zoe sat at the head like she was the mother and the one in charge since that was technically true since Artemis was not there. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair and saw gently and neatly around her head.

Though she frowned when she looked around to see that the demi-gods they had arrived with from Maine were not here, neither was the annoying satyr or the two newbie's. While she had not been happy about Bianca's decision she would leave it be since she did not need the annoyance of demi-gods telling her to back off and leave her alone. She just figured Bianca could do a hell of a lot better than the camp.

She also noticed that her mistress's son was not here either and figured he was just being a coward and had run off. She wondered if the things he had accomplished up till now was done by either luck or because he over exaggerated his accomplishments.

'_Just like any other pig of a man.'_ She thought as she turned to eat her meal before she felt the ground shake that surprised her and the hunters.

They all looked around and noticed none of the other campers looked shaken up, in fact they looked as if it they had not even felt it. They then felt it again and again and they grabbed onto the table to balance themselves.

"What is going on?" Phoebe asked as Chiron and Mr. D took no notice of the shakes in the ground as they pleasantly ate their meals in front of him. Even the nature spirits were not bothered by it and went on with their day.

"Chiron what is going on?" Zoe shouted as she stood up only to be put back in her seat by another kind of shock wave.

Chiron looked up from his meal with an inquisitive look on his face before it changed to a look of recognition.

"Hmm it seems Naruto is training again. He normally takes it a little too far and I guess the others of his little group are with him also. I'm sure they are fine."

As he went back to his meal Zoe and the other hunters all looked a little astonished at the comment he made before Zoe jogged out with hunters all following after her so they could see what Chiron had meant.

The hunters hastily made their way to the arena and went up into the stands where they saw Thalia, Annabeth, Bianca, Nico, Grover and Percy standing and watching Naruto and Silena who were in the arena.

Naruto was wearing his normal training gear consisting of a black vest and black shorts while Silena was wearing a sports bra and black short shorts.

Said girl grabbed two knives from the ones strapped to her thighs and threw them towards Naruto's chest at great speed that surprised the hunters since only ZoÃ« and a few others had managed to get that kind of speed from knife throwing.

"Zoe." Thalia said irked at Zoe's presence.

"Thalia." She said in equal disdain.

They watched as Naruto and Silena fought one another in hand to hand combat and saw that Silena was managing to hold her own though the demi gods knew Naruto was holding back since he did not want to hurt Silena.

He went for a kick to sweep her legs but Silena jumped high into the air before she pushed herself away from Naruto by using his shoulders to catapult into the air. She flipped through the air twice before landing on the ground and grabbed a bow from beside her.

She notched the arrow and fired it with great precision and speed that caught the attention of the hunters since they had to admit that she held her bow with both a gentle and commanding presence that impressed them, even if they did not like her.

The arrow shot towards Naruto but to their surprise Naruto unsealed a hunting knife and blocked it away. Silena then fired a few more arrows towards him but each time he deflected the arrows with his hunting knives much to Silena ire.

Naruto then sealed them back away and brought his right fist up to the air before slamming it to the ground making a large crater form in the ground from where he struck it and making another shock wave hit the ground.

'_So that's what was making those shock waves '_ Zoe thought before she narrowed her eyes at him. _'No one has had that kind of strength since that despicable pig Heracles.'_

"THIS IS SO COOL! HOW IS HE DOING THAT?" Nico shouted as he watched with stars in his eyes while Annabeth and Thalia had a similar look in their eyes while the rest were gob smacked at how Naruto somehow now had super strength and how strong Silena had now become.

Percy who was watching had thought he had gotten stronger in the last six months but in comparison to Silena, he would say that she could probably now kick his ass without too much of a problem.

'_Everyone is getting stronger yet I have not improved all that much.'_ He thought.

"I don't think Thalia and Clarisse can say they are the strongest girl at camp anymore." Grover said as Thalia glared at him while the others nodded.

"Yeah whatever training they did at Mount Myoboku then it really worked." Annabeth added.

"Mount Myoboku?" Zoe asked drawing their attention. "What is this Mount Myoboku you speak of? There is no mountain by that name." She asked looking for answers.

"Well of course you wouldn't have heard of it." Thalia said as Zoe glared at her. "It's in the Elemental Nation and is home of the Great Toads. Naruto went there for training to better prepare for Kronos and Luke." She said though she looked a little sad when mentioning look.

Zoe snorted a little. "For him perhaps it was worthwhile but why bother with the daughter of Aphrodite. Everyone knows they are useless. So she picked up a few tricks along the way, it does not matter."

"I guess he is just like other men if he falling for their charms." She said distastefully as a few of the older hunters agreed while the rest just stood silent and looked away.

The demi-gods other then Nico and Bianca glared at ZoÃ« and the older hunters while the other two just frowned.

Thalia looked ready to break Zoe's nose when a swish sound appeared in the air before a small thud hit the wall behind them and struck just an inch away from Zoe's cheek. Though she felt a small trickle of blood go down her cheek as the arrow had managed to land a small and very thin cut on her cheek.

Her eyes were wide as she put her thumb on the scratch and looked at her own blood before looking back down to the arena to see Silena with her bow in her hand which was aimed directly at them with a stern look on her face.

"You hunters aren't as quiet as your suppose to be." She said while Naruto stood a little ways away from her and looked up at the older hunters with a frown on his face, having heard their conversation as well.

Zoe gritted her teeth and stormed off again with the hunters quickly following after their lieutenants, no doubt to try and calm her down since she was know to have quite a fiery temper.

Naruto shook his head in disappointment. She already didn't like him and now Silena and ZoÃ« were hating each other big time. It was only making it more complicated with the hunters since they followed Zoe loyally.

As the hunters left the two demi-gods went back to training as the others watched to see how much they had improved.

* * *

**That Night**

"Should we really be doing this?" One of the younger hunters named Megan asked as Phoebe picked the lock on Naruto's room with Zoe standing beside her. All the hunters were gathered in front of his room door all in their nightwear which consisted of silvery grey bottoms and tank tops.

"Of course we should. All we will be doing is having a little snoop around and make sure the boy really does have honorable intentions. He seems a little tooâ€¦..good with his saving everyone all the time." Phoebe said as she picked the lock and Zoe nodded.

After a few minutes of picking the lock and after muttering a few curses, a loud clink was heard. Phoebe grabbed the handle and pushed it open making the older hunters grin.

Two at a time some of the hunters went inside Naruto's room while the others all waited outside, not wanting to go in since breaking into their mistresses son's room might be seen as a great offence.

"It's rather simple looking." Deena answered as they looked around. The older hunters which was made up of Zoe, Phoebe, Deena, Arianna, Lillian and Jessica stood in the room and gazed around it. Two of them sat on the big bed and felt how soft and comfortable the king size bed was and admired the beautiful coloring of the sheets, forest green and silver.

Zoe leaned over and picked up a few black arrow that were lying on the desk in the corner and examined it, noticing its fine craftsmanship and saw it was exactly the same as the arrows they fired, other than the metal point felt a little heavier.

"Hmm this arrow is a little different. The metal feels a little heavy." She said while she noticed the other hunters looked towards the cabinet on the side which drew Zoe in as well as she placed the arrow back on the desk.

"What is in there?" One of the younger hunters called out as a few of their peering heads looked through the doorway.

"I think it's his spoils of war." Arianna answered as she flickered her chestnut brown hair to the side and leaned it as did everyone else.

They did not open it since they could see perfectly through the glass and they wanted to be sure it was not booby-trapped.

"The Minotaur horn." Arianna said leaning in to get a good look at the trophy since in her time as a hunter she had only come across the Minotaur once.

"Hell hound teeth." Phoebe spoke as well looking at a bracelet with hell hound teeth around it. There were around eight of them all together.

"Gorgon tusk." Lillian also mentioned at the tusk that once belong to Stheno.

"A siren feather." Deena said looking at the ruffled brown feather with small marking on it.

"Is that a piece of metal?" Jessica asked looking at the chipped bit of metal from Ares blade back from the battle on the beach.

"It must hold some kind of significance if he kept it in here. He does seem like the sentimental type." Zoe answered before all their cases turned towards the other spoil inside.

It was a skull made of light purple crystal with sharp rows of teeth and eight grooves where the eyes would have been. It was a little bigger then a human skull but looked far more terrifying.

"What is that? I don't recognize it?" Arianna asked as more of the younger batch of hunter leaned in further wanting to see the spoils.

"It's the Kraken skull." Zoe asked narrowing her eyes at it. This was the first time she had ever seen the Kraken skull in her long life and something she never imagined she would see ever due to its reputation of the strongest Ocean monster in the world.

"It's so beautiful looking." Jessica asked looking mesmerized at the skull. "But why is it so small?"

"The gods probably shrunk it so that it could actually fit in there and can be carried around. If not the skull would be the siZe of a large truck."

"It is an impressive feat. Whether we want to admit it or not."

Zoe sucked in her breath but nodded. While she didn't like it she had to give credit where credit was due and while she desired no type of relationship with her mistress's child, she had to have just a small inkling of respect for his skills as a warrior.

"Well that will be enough." She said shaking out of her thoughts. "We have seen his room and there is nothing to worry about from him. He poses no threat to us or our mistress but we shall keep an eye on him anyway." She said as the older hunters nodded and shuffled out of the room while the younger hunters wanted to get one last look before the door shut."

The hunters then all quietly piled into their beds and let Morpheus take over.

* * *

**Chapter Four Completed**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW:)** 


	5. Chapter 5

**Beta'd by anime-death-angel**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Lets Break The Streak**

'_Where am I?'_ Naruto thought as he found himself standing in the middle of a forest that he did not recognize. The snow was fresh on the ground, it was night over head with the moon and stars twinkling like little lights in the far distance.

He remembered he had gone to bed in the Aphrodite cabin with Silena cuddled up next to him like they had been doing for the last six months. He had fallen asleep relatively quickly and when he shut his eyes he found himself here in this forest.

"_Am I dreaming?"_ Percy had said his dreams made him feel like he was actually there which in some of his dream that had been the case. But that they always had some kind of message to them. Like something was going to happen, something big.

Naruto stood there not really sure what to do when he heard some branches rustling from behind him.

Turning around he stood and watched as a large silver wolf jumped out of the bushes a little in front of him. The wolf was large, a big larger then Luna and Tiber with silvery white fur that shined under the moonlight. He leaned in a little closer and he saw the eyes of the wolf.

They were silvery yellow and he instantly recognized them since one of his eyes was the same color.

"Mom?" He said as tried to lean towards the wolf a little.

He spoke but the wolf obviously did not hear him since she just trotted past him with her eyes centered in front of her as if focusing in on something before she then changed from a jog and into running.

"Wait where are you going?" He asked and quickly followed after the wolf as she jogged away and leapt through the bushes, gracefully dodging branches and holes in the ground as Naruto did his best to keep up and chase after he.

It continued like this for a good ten minutes as every time he got close she suddenly ran faster and picked up the pace. His ninja speed was on a high level but even with that, he was struggling to catch up to her.

"Please mom, wait." He called and finally it looked like she listened when the silver wolf suddenly stopped in her tracks but her head was whipping from side to side as if noticing someone was following her. A low growl came out of her throat and her shoulders and legs tensed.

She looked like she was about to turn around and face him when around the wolf a large golden net suddenly got thrown at her and large creatures covered in shadows came out of the woods around her and pinned her down as she struggled to break free of the net as her jaw snapped at the net only for it to have no effect.

"Mom!" he called out but found himself stuck in the spot and could not move. He tried to shake his body and tensed his muscles but it did nothing to help. He was stood frozen as he watched as this wolf version of his mother was successfully pinned down and captured by these shadow people and felt as helpless as a child.

From in front of them and gaining the attention of the silver wolf a large shadow of a man appeared. He could not see who it was but by the stature and the way he held himself he had to of been a man of great power since the earth beneath his feet seemed to crack under his weight and power. He looked to the wolf and saw it was staring at the large man in slight fear as a large smirk appear on his face.

The man hand went forward and went to grab the wolf just as Naruto finally managed to start moving and lunged forward.

"NOOO!" Naruto screamed out as the dream suddenly ended and he shot up from his bed letting the covers fall of him as beads of sweat ran down his face and his breathing turned heavy.

"Naruto?" A panicked voice called as a pair of hands cupped his face and a presence appeared sitting in front of him.

Silena appeared in front of him with a worried expression on her face as she looked him over and saw the state that he was in. She wiped some of the sweat from his brow and she saw the terrified look on his face, a look she had honestly never seen on him before.

From across the cabin her two sisters also looked in worry as Naruto's shout had woken them both up from their slumber. At the front of the cabin Luna and Tiber raised their heads and looked towards their keeper, wondering what was wrong with him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Silena asked worriedly as Naruto's eyes darted all around the cabin.

Instead of answering Naruto jumped out of bed, ignoring the fact that Silena and her two sister that had woke up earlier were staring at him in worry, and put his shoes on as he then ran towards the door of the cabin and slammed it open as he ran out into the cold December morning.

It was still dark out but flickers of the morning sun could be seen making it way over the horizon, getting ready to eliminate the day.

"Naruto wait." Silena called but it fell on deaf ears. She then jumped out of bed, put her night robe on before she put her shoes on and quickly followed after Naruto.

Naruto was running at great speed as he ran towards the big house. He needed to tell Chiron and Mr. D what had happened in his dream. He knew it meant something and he knew something had happened to Artemis.

The man that took her was powerful, Naruto could feel that even if it was just a dream but it also felt dark. Not as dark as Kronos's was but defiantly close.

He got to the door and banged on the front door multiple times hoping to get someone's attention inside. He didn't care who it was but he needed to speak to either Chiron or Mr. D. They needed to know about the dream.

As he waited for an answer he heard another door slam open from way behind him and looked over to see Zoe Nightshade sprinting towards the big house in a similar state that he was in moment ago. Silena too was heading towards him but at a more delicate pace, trying not to trip over in the snow.

Zoe saw Naruto at the front door and looked a little intrigued and curious as to why he was there before shaking her head and banging on the door similar to what Naruto had done moment before.

When Silena arrived at looked at Naruto questioning as to why he freak out moment earlier, the sound of rolling wheels could be heard from behind the door. After another moment of waiting it opened to find a recent woken up and robed Chiron.

"Naruto, Silena, Miss Nightshade, what brings you here this early?" He said as he looked at the clock behind him to see it was little over six o clock.

"Someone kidnapped my mother/mistress." Naruto and Zoe said at the same time before they looked at each other in surprise. Zoe looked away first before Naruto did and both looked at Chiron expectantly.

Chiron's face first showed surprise at their claims before he turned completely serious. "You both best come in." He said as he wheeled back and led them to his office.

When they arrived, he motioned for both of them to start explaining. Naruto motioned for Zoe to start and so Zoe began explaining that she had a dream about her mistress in her deer form and that she was capture by men in shadows that she did not recognize and a larger man who the deer seemed to hold some fear over.

"That's almost the same as mine." Naruto said gaining their attention. "But she was not in a deer form though. In my dream she was a silver wolf that was a bit bigger then Luna and Tiber."

Zoe contemplated the thought for a moment before speaking. "The deer is her sacred animal and while the wolf is not, it is a very special and endeared animal to Artemis since we use normal wolves in the hunt a lot and she has always shown great fondness over them. I also believe my lady has been known to transform into a wolf from time to time since she says she enjoys the freedom it gives her."

"So something has defiinantly happened to her then. Since both you are dreaming about the same thing happening to her?" Silena asked as they all looked to Chiron.

"It does look that way child." He answered.

"Then what are we waiting for. We have to save her." Naruto said and for once Zoe nodded in agreement.

"He is right, we cannot leave her to her captors. I will leave with the hunt immediately and track her down and save her." She said as she turned to head back to cabin eight to tell her hunt sisters.

"Then I am coming as well." Naruto answered but Zoe whipped her head around to look at him.

"You will do no such thing. The hunt can handle this. We do not need some _boy_ to slow us down." She said as Naruto now began to feel anger build up towards his mother's lieutenant as she shot him down.

"Like hell I'm not going. She may be your mistress but she is also MY mother. I'm going." He said firmly to Zoe who gritted her teeth a little and looked ready to argue with him when Chiron's voice called out.

"Neither of you are going anywhere." He said firmly as both whipped their heads quickly around to face him, both looking surprised.

"Artemis told you that she did not want either of you to go on that hunt with her for a reason. Whatever she was hunting was out of your leagues and if you go now unprepared then you will only be getting hurt or worse killed."

Naruto looked at Chiron as if he had grown a second head while Zoe looked angered by the words.

"But this is my mom Chiron. I can't just leave her in the hands of some madman. Who know what he would do to her." He said as Zoe for the second time reluctantly agreed. "I am not going to idly sit by when she could be in pain right now."

"Your mother knows what she is doing and she can handle herself. Your mother is an Olympian Naruto. She knows how to take care of herself. She is strong and where ever she is she will know how to survive and will be looking for a means to escape."

"Butâ€¦.."

"Tonight once the capture the flag game is over we will go to the oracle. Once that is done we will discuss what needs to be done but until then you are all to remain in camp. Understand?" He said in a tone that told them it was not up for arguments.

It may have been harsh but he was doing this to keep them alive. Rushing in would only get themselves killed. Even if Naruto was a super powered ninja demi god, he was not immortal by a long shot and he could be killed.

"The hunters will not abandon our mistress like this." Zoe said angrily not doing well on keeping her temper in check. "She has done too much for us to ever think of betraying her in such a way."

"Your mistress ordered you to stay at camp until she collected you. Are you going to break her order Miss Nightshade?" He asked.

In response Zoe clenched her fists, far from happy and she gave Chiron a glare that would have sent Zeus packing. She kicked over a chair that was beside her before she stormed out of the big house, obviously going to tell the hunters what she had been told and that they were to stay until they were given the go ahead to go.

Moments after Naruto walked out of the office as well with Silena following behind worryingly. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair as he thought over this new development.

'_With Artemis being captured it is a sure fire signal. It's beginning and now there is nothing Zeus can do to ignore it.'_

* * *

**Later that day**

"So let me get this straight. You think Artemis has been captured because of a dream both you and Zoe had?" Thalia asked as she looked a little skeptical.

"Positive." He said as Naruto paced on the spot he was standing on and had been like that since he left the big house that morning.

Around him Annabeth, Silena, Thalia, Grover and Percy stood along with Tiber and Luna. They had all gathered at the stump beside the woods and were either sitting around it or were standing with their arms cross, or in Naruto's case pacing around it.

He was currently explain the situation of the dream he and Zoe had as well as finding out Grover already was aware due to having been camping outside the Artemis cabin, his fan boy phase still hitting him hard with the hunters in the camp.

The only ones missing were Bianca who was currently hanging out with Lacy, one of Silena's younger sisters who he she had struck up a little friendship with while Nico was currently with the Strolls, no doubt trying to corrupt another child in the ways of Hermes.

They found later on that Clarisse was out of camp currently on a special assignment from Chiron. When asked what she was doing Chiron would not say, saying the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Silena did not like that and had made a big fuss about it since she wanted to make sure her friend was safe but Naruto eventually managed to calm her down and reminded her that Clarisse was a big girl and she knew how to look after one another.

Silena let it go for now but it still played on her mind.

"And Chiron says we have to wait before doing anything?" Annabeth asked a little skeptically.

"That's right. He says after the capture the flag game, then someone will be sent the Oracle. If Artemis has been captured then that will most likely help to confirm it." Silena said.

Annabeth nodded and guessed she could see where she was coming from. Though it did not help Naruto who looked more worried than anything.

"But your dreams? It's a little far-fetched."

"No its not." Percy said. "I got them all the time during the quest for the lightning bolt and then again during the summer with the fleece. If Naruto and Zoe both had the same dream, then it means it must have definantly happened."

"But why is Naruto having them?" Grover piped up.

"She is my mother therefore there is a connection between us. That and demi gods tend to have dreams about future problems from what we have already seen," he said looking at Percy pointedly.

"And ZoÃ«?"

"Well she has apparently been my mother's lieutenant for two thousand years." He said surprising them all since ZoÃ« did not look a day over fourteen, possibly fifteen.

"Apparently my mom gave her a home in the hunt making her extremely loyal to her. I guess they built up a friendship over the years and they are close to one another."

"It would explain why she had the dream as well." Annabeth figured making Naruto nod.

"Yeah but I think we are forgetting about another big question mark here people." Grover added as everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean Grover ?" Thalia asked.

"Well I think we are forgetting that Artemis is an Olympian goddess. One of the major twelve. Who in the world has the power to stop her? I mean whoever they are must have been strong if they managed to overpower her and trap her like Naruto says they did."

Everyone went quiet as they thought about what Grover just said and they had to admit he had a good point. Whoever managed to capture Artemis must have been very powerful, easily on par with the Olympians gods and goddesses themselves.

"Someone who has a grudge on her maybe?" Percy asked.

Naruto snorted though. "Percy my mom is a man-hater. Without a doubt there are a lot of people with grudges against her. Some of the gods will no doubt have some against her since she is one of the few goddess who does not put up with their BS and does not sleep with them like others would."

"Well did you see what this guy looked like?" Annabeth asked but Naruto shook his head.

"Like I said before he was enveloped in shadows so I could not make him out. Only that he radiated power to the point where my mom looked slightly scared at seeing him. He was big as well, very muscular if his body shape was any idea.

"Ares maybe?" Grover asked. "We know how much he dislikes Naruto after the battle on the beach back last summer."

"Ares is not that foolish. He knows Zeus will most likely have his head if he pulled a stunt like that."

"Hades? The guy is not exactly friendly." Percy said as they thought it over but Naruto shook his head to that too.

"No Hades is to recluse to do that. Plus he has no reason to after my mother. If she did something to anger him then perhaps, but Hades is the kind of god that will go after someone only with a good reason and which may benefit him."

"Plus with the whole Persephone stunt all those years ago I don't think he could afford to kidnap another daughter of Zeus." Silena said as everyone nodded.

They contemplated on who or what could have been the captor of Artemis when Naruto had a thought cross him.

"What if we are looking at this wrong." He said gaining their attention. "We have been thinking that one of the gods was responsible but remember there are older things in this world then the gods that are just as powerful as they are, if not more so."

Everyone went a little pale went he spoke because they knew how true it was. There were older and fouler things in the world, things that some of them prayed they would never have to see or face. After all, their old friend Luke had teamed up with one said entity that made them all shiver when his name was spoken.

"With Kronos rising, what if this is his first act. Get my mother out of the way. Without her, the hunters are left leaderless and would not survive for very long without her. Plus Olympus would lose one of its best fighters and its best tracker."

"And from what my grandmother had said when she spoke with us, the monsters have been rallying together lately making a very large attack force. Even immortals and other gods and goddesses could potentially be joining him."

"Which means we could have some of the other Titans joining him as well. No doubt they want to take back the kingdom and the world that they once ruled." Naruto answered as Silena looked at him worryingly.

"But if it was a Titan, wouldn't we know or have some kind of warning?" Annabeth said. "The Titans that fought for Kronos in the last war are all in imprisoned.

They sat in silence for a moment before Thalia spoke. "What if they don't know? What if they don't know that a Titan has escaped or more than one has escaped? After all Zeus is trying to ignore it while some of the other gods are just doing as they please. If a Titan did escape I bet they don't even realize it."

"If that is true then we are in a lot more trouble than we thought we could be in. If Kronos does have Titan allies then it means his forces are growing far stronger than we thought and are preparing while our side is still in disarray." Annabeth said as she held her head.

They all fell a little quiet as Naruto looked up to the sky, his mind elsewhere as he thought of his mother and where ever she was.

They all had different thought of what they could do, each with their own idea's but none looked or acted as well as they wanted it too. A war with Kronos was inevitable, now more so then ever since the first strike had been made and with it came the capture of Artemis.

_"Please be safe mom, please just hold on until I can get to you."_ He thought before in the distance he saw the hunters exit the cabin and make their way to the mess hall.

With is enhanced sight he could some of them had try tear marks down their face and all of them had a look of worry plastered on them. He knew he was not the only one worrying about his mother but seeing them in the state they were in made him feel a little bad, even if most of them did not like him.

"We should go." He spoke calmly finally having stopped pacing and rubbed the back of his neck. "The more we worry the worse it will get so for now let's deal with tonight's game, get it done with so we can take care of bigger problems."

Reluctantly they all nodded trying to put the problem aside for now so they could focus on their capture the flag game against the Hunters.

* * *

**That Night**

The two teams were currently getting ready in silence as they used this time to take a breather and get themselves physically and mentally ready to fight the hunters.

From what he had heard from Annabeth, the main reason the hunters always seemed to win was because of their unique and amazing team work skills. That and their team always ended up getting angry and frustrated during the game because the hunters either teamed up to fight or used their stealth skills to take them out.

"I'll show them love is worthless," Silena's sister Lacy said and grumbled as she strapped on her armor. "I'll pulverize them!"

Apparently she had a run in with one of the hunters and had an argument with them after lunch Silena said to Naruto as Naruto sighed and nodded.

He began to understand why the camp disliked them so much. The hunters tended to start problems when it was really unnecessary and with things that just had no relevance. It was like they were just picking fights for the hell or it and for their own amusement.

He began to wonder if a lot of them were related to Ares.

At the side was Ino, Beckendorf along with the Stolls and the DiAngelo and their other cabin mates. He had not seen Ino at all since he came back and found out it was due to her apparently taking a shine and cozying up with Beckendorf.

It took him by surprise but the big Hephaestus kid seemed to genuinely like Ino and vice versa. He had no problem with it and even smiled at the thought of his two friends being together in that way.

"I'll take the offense." Thalia volunteered which was not much of a surprise.

"Me too." Percy said with riptide in his hands ready.

"I want in as well." Annabeth muttered wanting to finally beat the hunters for once.

"Me as well." Silena said.

"So everyone wants in the offence?" Naruto said as dryly as the others laughed a little nervously.

"I thought as much which is why I have an idea on how we can do this." He said as everyone leaned in. Annabeth especially since she wanted to hear what the plan would be.

"There are twenty hunters and twenty of us. Now they will want to get it done as quick as possible so I know without a doubt Zoe will be headed for the flag since she is their strongest fighter. So how we will play this is. Thalia," He said looking at her. "You along with Percy, Annabeth and Silena will head for the flag. You four want to fight them so bad then you got it. Thalia and Percy, if you have to, use your powers. Soak them, fry them, or both but only knock them out or knock them aside." He said as both grinned and high fived each other.

"Silena and Annabeth, now you two have a chance to really show them where you are in your training. Show them how far your skills have come in the last six months." He said as both grinned at one another.

"You four will be Team A and you will be tasked with catching the flag. Thalia since you are the oldest, you will be team leader for your group." He said as all four nodded happily.

"Next is Team B which makes up the rest of you. Beckendorf, Ino, Connor, Travis, Bianca, Nico, and everyone else, you guys will set up a defensive line along the creek and in a long line formation. Ino, I want you to use your mind jutsu to take over a bird and spy on the hunters and then report back to them how far away they are and when they will arrive."

"Some hunters may try to go round the edges but I will make shadow clone to make them take a detour and send them to you guys."

"Nico and Bianca, since this is your first time playing, stick close to the Stolls, they will look after you." He said as they both nodded though Nico looked like he was going to fall to the ground from the weight of the armor.

"Team A when the hunters appear at the creek, that will be the moment you go forward to their flag. Team B you help make sure they get past them and then hold the hunters where they are." He said as both teams nodded.

"Okay but what about the flag. Who will be defending that?" Beckendorf asked as they watched Naruto grin.

"That would be me. I'm curious to see who well my adoptive sisters compare to a shinobi." He said making every persons face break out in a grin.

"And since Zoe will be heading for the flag, I will deal with her."

* * *

**Later On**

Naruto stood patiently at the flag as the horn signaling that the match would start sounded out through the air.

He closed his eyes and waited. He had two lots of shadow clones sent to the rims of the forest so the hunter could not use that to get past them.

He told his clones not to hurt them, but to either force them away to the center or knock them out.

'_Anytime now Zoe and a few of the older hunter, the more experienced hunters will appear. That will be my cue.'_ He thought as with his enhanced hearing he could hear the sounds of fighting beginning.

Elsewhere he felt his clones engage meaning he was right with thinking the hunter would try to sneak around the edge however they would not be able to with his clones in the way.

* * *

**Moments earlier at the Creek**

The camp team stood their patiently as well as they readied themselves with Ino currently sitting on the floor with Beckendorf beside her watching over her body. She had left a few minutes ago and should be back at any moment.

Just then a small bird appeared and landed on her shoulder. When it did her eyes opened and stood back up.

"Okay from what I could see Naruto was right in thinking that Zoe would lead, she is at the front with seven other hunters all coming this way. Two pairs of hunters went around the sides like we thought.

"Good thing Naruto made clones to deal with them." Annabeth said as they all nodded.

"At the flag there are eight hunters guarding it with four around it and four hidden in the bushes around it. The ones attacking should be here any minute."

"Then let's get ready." Thalia commanding as her team got ready to run to the other side while the others prepared to keep as many hunters here as they could.

Silence rang out through the creek as not even the footsteps of the hunters could be heard, once again showing how stealthy they were but they all knew that any moment now they would appear.

They were right.

Thirty seconds later Zoe Nightshade alongside seven other hunters jumped out of the bushes and in front of them. Zoe looked surprised to see so many in front of them but grinned, thinking that it was going to be an easy win.

She nodded to two of her hunt sister and they ran towards them and jumped over them with impressive speed and ran forward while the other five would deal with the demi gods.

What she did not see though was as soon as she jumped Thalia, Annabeth, Percy and Silena took off immediately forward as the five hunters began to fight them with their knives drawn out.

As they engaged their opponents, from the sides two pairs of hunters were pushed out and skidded along the ground making their hunt sister look over towards them.

"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be sneaking towards their flag around the edges around them." whispered into one of the newly arrived hunters.

"We got blocked. Lady Artemis's son blocked us with that clone ability and forced us into this area."

"Was the real one with them?" She asked but the hunter shrugged having no idea.

The battle in the creek continued as the hunters did their best to fight their opponents but they quickly saw that their opponents were better prepared and were calmer than they normally were.

Arianna went towards Ino and went to kick her with a quick leg sweep but Ino quickly tuned around and caught it and wagged her index finger in front of her.

"No, no honey. That's rude." She said as she pushed her away and swiped at the older huntress as she blocked the strike.

The huntress tried to get a shot in but Ino was not giving her a chance too before she found herself back against a tree.

In a desperate attempt she went to grab her bow but found Ino had disappeared from her sight.

"Where did you go?"

"Your pretty good deary." Ino said appearing above her and chopping the back of the girls neck and making her faint. "But you are not that good."

Back in the center, the other hunters began pushing the campers back and threw Nico over towards the Stolls who managed to catch him while being a little surprised at how ferocious Bianca was. She seemed to have a natural gift with a hunting knife, further showing that she would have done well in the hunt.

"Now." Beckendorf called out as the hunters were surprised to see two son of Hermes in the tree's and threw nets over the hunters.

A few of them managed to avoid them but the nets caught three of them as they got tangled up and had their weapons kicked away from them.

"No we can't lose this." One of the hunters cried out before they eventually got to overwhelmed by the twice as many campers who now had the remaining hunters trapped against a stone wall.

The hunters felt embarrassed that the campers had managed to beat them this way. This was not the campers they were use to fighting against. These ones were calm, collective, efficient and worked well with one another.

The campers all looked a little batted and bruised and their clothing was ripped in multiple places but they managed to still stand and ignore their wounds for the time being, not wanting to let the others down. And the hunters were surprised they all had smiles on their faces, happy that their teamwork has actually gotten them to this point.

"You won't win you know. Zoe will get your flag." She said as a few of them laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"We have our own hunter. I think he will be able to match yours." Beckendorf said as they now made sure none of the pinned down hunters managed to find a way out."

* * *

**With Team A**

Thalia, Silena, Percy and Annabeth sprinted forward towards where they knew the hunter's flag was being stationed. It was being held on top of a small rock hill, a good place since it meant they would have to climb a little to grab it and would give the hunters time to stop them.

"They are nearby. I can feel it." Thalia said as she was eventually correct when they appeared out of the woods and in front of the guarding four hunters who looked ready to defend it though were surprised that anyone actually made it to their flag.

"Keep the flag safe." She called out as the four hidden hunters fired arrows with rubber ends towards them since they were not allowed to kill but could knock out, so they put rubber bottoms on the ends.

Thalia brought up her shield and blocked it while the other three duck and rolled along the ground while Silena jumped forward and rolled across the floor towards one of the hidden hunters.

She grabbed a knife from the back off her thigh and threw it forwards. It went through the bush and a yelp sounded out. She looked over the bush to see the hunter pinned to the ground with the kunai through her clothes.

Percy and Annabeth meanwhile engaged two of the hunters who had their hunting knives out.

"Bring it on." Annabeth muttered as she dodged swipes from the hunter she fought and knocked them away with her palm. All the while when the girl struck, Annabeth would land a quick strike to her with pointed fingers into the arm.

Since Naruto had gone, she had continued her training with renewed vigor and had looked at where the various pressure points and nerve point were on a person. After learning where they were she focuses on learning how to strike quickly into those spots with her snake style of fighting.

That and she had taken up gymnastics to help with her flexibility and balance.

Annabeth narrowly dodged another swipe at her before she again swatted a pressure point on the girls arm.

"Damn it stop doing that." The hunter called out but in her frustration Annabeth took the opportunity to grab her right arm and swing her legs up and grab the girl in a head scissor lock. She then forced her weight down and the girl flip in the air and landed on her back in a slight daze at what just happened.

Annabeth then kick the knives away.

"That was awesome Bethy." Thalia called as Silena fired a rubber arrow similar to the ones the hunters were using and knocked another one of the hunters that were hiding out.

Seeing that the strategy just was not working the last two hunters that were hiding came out of their spot and engaged them.

However the duo hunters worked together along with the three others that remained and began pushing them back.

Silena defended herself as the two hunters found themselves having to push her away together.

'_How on earth is this daughter of Aphrodite so strong?'_ They both thought as Silena held her ground.

Percy meanwhile clashed riptide with the hunter Lillian as the older huntress pushed against him and tried to use her superior experience level to win the battle but Percy was managing to hold his own with his swordsmanship.

The blade clashed as sparks flew from them and next to them Thalia was having her own battle with Jessica before Percy and Thalia were put back to back.

"Hey seaweed brain." Thalia called.

"Yeah Pine cone face?" He answered back not noticing the tick mark appear on her daughter of Zeus's forehead.

"Let's light these girls up?" She said as Percy grinned a little,

He looked around and saw there was no nearby water source but instead looked towards the snow. _'I wonder if that will work?" _H_e thought before shrugging and giving it his best shot.

As he closed his eyes and focuses on the snow around him, he felt that usual pull he felt when using his ocean powers he inherited from Poseidon.

All around him the snow picked up and swirled around him before it all melted and turned into water surprising the hunters and quickly backed away.

However Percy eyes shot open and the water that had gathered up shot forward and collided with the three hunters and knocked them to the ground while all of them were getting completely soaked.

They winced a little as the three tried to get up but saw in front of them was Thalia who had electricity sparkling around her right hand which only made the hunters eye widen a little in fear.

"Wanna know what happens when lightning meets water." She said grinning before she shot a small burst of electricity onto the water trails which shot through the water and shocked the three girls.

It was only a small burst but it was enough to give them a small shock and render them unable to get up as their bodies twitched and spasmed from the electricity that was coursing through their body.

Both children of the big three grinned and looked over to see Silena and Annabeth pushing the final two hunter's away while the other six remain on the ground.

"It's about time." Thalia said as she went forward, climbed the small rock formation and to the hunters dismay grabbed their flag, which was silver in color with the Artemis symbol on it.

* * *

**Earlier With Naruto**

Naruto stood in front of the flag patiently and stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed as he sensed his surroundings. He could feel the battle starting at the creek as well as Thalia, Silena, Percy and Annabeth now heading towards their base camp.

About a minute after waiting three lots of footsteps could be heard coming towards signaling that he was about to have company.

'_It's time to see if these hunters are as good as people say they are._' He thought as he mentally prepared himself.

Moments later Zoe, Phoebe and Deena jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of him. They grinned at seeing the flag but stopped and concentrated when they saw Naruto standing in front of it blocking their way.

"You." Zoe said scowling as did the two other girls while Naruto just looked at them.

"You didn't think this was going to be easy did you?" He asked.

"The camp has changed a little since you were last here. They know how to work together as a team now and they know that getting them frustrated and angry was what helped you girls win so many times before as well as your superior team work skills."

"We don't need teamwork to defeat you." Phoebe said as she got her hunting knives out. "I should have put an arrow in you when I last saw you."

"Oh you mean when I helped get you out of being captured by some stretchy clown," Naruto said as Phoebe growled and shot forward towards him not listening to Zoe who was telling her to stop.

"Phoebe don't, he is using your anger against you." She said but she did not listen.

Phoebe swooped in and began lashing out at Naruto with her hunting knives, swinging them madly around like a wild animal.

Naruto meanwhile was dodging them with ease by simply ducking on sidestepping her attacks. He could tell by the first time that he had met Phoebe that she was the kind who had a short fuse and a temper that could be easily pushed. Her temper was her weak spot.

"Hold still." She said as Phoebe attacked him while Zoe and Deena took this moment to get passed him and grab the flag.

When they shot of towards the flag Naruto noticed the in the corner of his eye and he could not help but smirk.

Zoe and Deena ran towards it, not noticing Naruto's grin and got closer towards the flag thinking it was not as difficult as Naruto made it out to be.

However as they got a few meter from it Zoe noticed a shine hit her from around the flag. She squinted her eyes a little before they widened and noticed that there was a metal wire around it.

"Deena stop." She said as she stopped in her tracks but Deena was not so lucky as she kept on going.

"Why? We have the flag." She said as she reached out to grab it but when she did her foot tripped over the wire and made a snap ring out.

She glanced around her before noticing metal wire spring out from being hidden in the gravel and wrapped around, pinning her arms to the side and taken her off the ground and hung her off one of the nearby tree's.

"NO!" she shouted out not believing she got this careless as Zoe tried to get her down.

"I would not try that if I were you, at least not until then end of the game." Naruto's voice called out as he stood looking at her with Phoebe unconscious and draped over his shoulder before he placed her down and tied her to a tree so when she woke up she could not run off or cause more problems.

Zoe glared at Naruto as she mentally cursed. This was not the situation she wanted to be in and wondered what happened to the two pairs of hunters that were sent around the edges. _'They should be here by now.'_

"Soâ€¦" Naruto asked cracking his neck and shoulder. "How are we going to do this?" He asked as Zoe stood ready as she positioned her feet in a fighting position.

"I'm not like the other two. I have fought with Lady Artemis for two thousand years. I have experience and skills that you could not even comprehend." She said trying to intimidate him but it had no affect on Naruto who shrugged it off.

"Different does not necessarily mean better." He answered as they began their own little battle.

Zoe as quick as lightning grabbed her bow, and shot an arrow towards Naruto's head to which he managed to duck. But when he did Zoe appeared in front of him with great speed and hunting knives drawn out.

'_She is better than the others.'_ He thought as he unsealed his own hunting knives and met hers.

The two parried like that for about minute trying to get passed each other's defense and land some kind of strike but neither were able to, their skills with the hunting knives seemingly being equal.

Naruto kicked and tried to sweep her legs but ZoÃ« jumped and avoid the attack. When she landed back on the ground she attempted a palm thrust and to knock Naruto in the head with the back of her hunting knives but Naruto grabbed her fist when it came towards him and blocked the strike with his own hunting knife.

They fought like this for about a minute neither giving the other time to breathe before they met in their attack again.

Deena who was hanging from the tree in the metal wire looked astonished at how Naruto was able to keep up with Zoe since Zoe was Artemis's best huntress by quite a margin and was the only one of the hunt who could make Artemis have to try when they sparred with one another.

They then entered a dead lock with their weapons pressed against one another and Naruto used the chance to push her back, using his superior physical strength to his advantage.

Zoe gritted her teeth before she pushed herself away. She ran towards a tree behind her and pushed herself away from it giving her a good burst of speed and crashed into Naruto sending him back a few steps.

She also swung her hunting blade and while Naruto managed to parry them away, he was caught off guard at how her speed suddenly increased and missed one of the strikes. Her blade met Naruto's cheek and landed a cut across it as well as a small bit of blood trickle down from it.

Zoe's eyes widened when she saw her attack hit and took a few steps back.

She used the moment from the attack to get to the flag. She ran forward and jumped with her foot landing on his shoulder before she pushed herself forward and towards the flag.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and just before Zoe could get out of reach, he grabbed her ankle and threw her back the way she came.

When he threw her it caught her off guard and Zoe slammed into the tree making her wince at the pain.

"Your right. You are not like the rest of the hunter. You're the strongest out of them, I see that now." Naruto said.

"I suppose you're not to bad yourself, at least for a boy." She said having to give him credit where credit was due.

The two engaged again and once again was equal in their attacks.

Slowly though and surely Zoe noticed that she was getting pushed back and pushed away from the flag and the others. She was losing ground and very quickly, she began losing sight of the flag as Naruto didn't give her a chance to breathe and continued to get her away from the flag.

There blades caused sparks to fly as they met and their arms were swinging around so fast that it was almost a blur. Even their bodies were becoming blurs as they fought. Anyone who was watching would have had a hard time understanding what was happening.

As they thought though Naruto had a smile on his face, not even Silena was able to push him this far and he found himself enjoying this fight with his mother's best huntress.

Zoe as well even though she would never admit it, had a tiny smile on her face and she found herself strangely enjoying this fight.

Some people said that when two great fighters battle one another, they begin to understand one another one another and understand each other's life.

With Naruto her saw that she too had some kind of hard past, that she was betrayed by someone she thought cared for her before his mother saved her and gave her a home which was why she was so fiercely loyal.

ZoÃ« meanwhile saw Naruto's hardships and little glimpses of his pain and began to understand why he wanted to prove himself to his other and the hunters. Why he wanted to protect people and keep them out of harm's way.

Zoe found herself hard pressed as Naruto continued to push her back and back until eventually she found herself back at the creek.

She looked over and was astonished to see her hunt sister group together and captured while the camper stood around them with their weapons, preventing them from escaping.

They looked ready to head towards her but Naruto skidded out of the bushes and landed in front of her.

"Told you things were going to be different." Naruto said as Zoe narrowed her eyes at him. The two looked ready to start their battle again but rapid footsteps could be heard coming from the hunters side of the creek.

Everyone waited and eyes widened while Naruto had a massive grin on his face when Thalia burst out of the bushes with the silver flag in hand.

"NO!" All the hunters called out as Zoe was about to zoom over to stop Thalia from crossing but Naruto got in her way and stopped her. The other hunters tried as well but they could not get passed the campers that had barricaded them in.

Thalia then splashed into the creek and after a couple of second of tense silence she crossed the other side and stepped onto the campers territory.

She had a big smile on her face and the rest of her team followed after her all with smiles on their faces when they spotted her across the creek. She then held the flag high in the air and shouted "WE WIN!"

After another moment of silence the campers all cheered as the hunters dropped to the ground in disbelief before they stared cursing themselves for letting the campers get the better of them.

The horn sounded out through the area as Chiron galloped into the clearing with a proud smile plastered on his face. He came across the campers all looking a little worse for wear covered in cuts, bruises and their clothes torn but they all looked in a joyful move and ignored it for now.

"Campers win for the first time in whoever knows how long." He said before trotting up to Annabeth and the others.

Naruto mad some clones to go free the two hunters that were trapped at their flag before he walked up to Zoe who had a scowl on her face and was looking away. He got her attention by walking in front of her. She sneered a little before narrowing her eyes at him.

"What do you want? Come to rub it in?" She said before Naruto's hand appeared in front of him.

"Good game." He said with a smile on his face.

She looked weary at him. "This had better not be some trick." She said before he shook his head.

"It's no trick."

She eyed him for a few more second before she relaxed a little and shook his hand and nodded to him.

Naruto smiled at her again and was about to head towards Silena when gasps rang out through the camp.

He turned around and to his surprise saw the oracle coming towards him. Her skeletal like body creaked as she walked and eyes glowed green as she got closer towards them. The campers and hunter both took a step back since something like this had never happened before.

"She has never left the attic." Chiron spoke as the oracle walked towards them.

She looked like she was heading towards Zoe who stepped forward. "What must I do to save my mistress?"

The oracle looked at her and just when everyone thought she was about to start speaking, she started walking again and walked right past her much to all the hunters and the campers surprise. She kept walking until she stopped a few feet in front of Naruto.

'_Is this for me then?' He _thought as he looked towards Chiron who nodded at him.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "What must I do to save my mother?"

This time green smoke appeared out of the oracle as her eyes lit. The mist built up and too his surprise took the form of Hiruzen, Tsunade and Jiraiya.

**Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,**  
**One shall face their pain in the land without rain,**  
**The Bane of Olympus shows the trail,**  
**Campers and Hunters combined prevail,**  
**The Titan's Curse must one withstand,**  
**And one could perish by a parent's hand.**

The three figures all said two lines each before the green mist began to fade away and disappeared back into the mouth of the oracle. Once it did the Oracle staggered a little before she dropped to the ground.

Everyone stood in silence with the campers looking towards Naruto worryingly while the hunters looked at Naruto in both annoyance and jealousy that it was he who got the quest to save Artemis and not them.

"Chiron." Naruto said in a serious tone getting the centaurs attention. "I think we need to call a meeting."

* * *

**Chapter Five completed**

**If someone of you are wondering when Naruto will blow up on the hunter from their treatment of him, then it will be next chapter. He will layeth the smackdown on them**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Lets Go Questing**

Naruto was sat in the games room around the ping pong table as other members of the camp, namely the head Councillors piled in and took their designated seats.

Chiron stood at the head of the table along with Mr D who decided to make an appearance.

As everyone arrived Annabeth, Thalia and Silena sat around him wanting to give him their support. Beckendorf, the Stolls and Ino were to the side of the group together and then to the side of Chiron was Zoe Nightshade and Phoebe both with serious looks on their faces and looking like they did not want to be in the room at all.

Nico and Bianca meanwhile were taken back to the Hermes cabin by a few of their cabin mates since neither were allowed to join them for the time being.

Percy then walked in moments later along with Grover since the two were sent to take the Oracles body back to the attic much too both their displeasure. With everyone now in the room, the meeting began.

"We all heard the prophecy that was given, and we now all know for sure that Lady Artemis has been captured. By who I am unsure but whoever they are, if they strong enough to take an Olympian prisoner then they are to be treated with great caution," he said as everyone nodded.

Zoe who was leaning against the wall spoke up next.

"Why are we even having this meeting? The hunters must go and save our mistress. I told you this morning centaur that as soon as that stupid game was over the hunters would be leaving to find Lady Artemis."

"Hey," Annabeth said standing up. "Treat Chiron with some respect would you. He is trying to better prepare those who will be picked to go on the quest and make sure they know what risks lie ahead."

Zoe snorted. "You campers will only get in the way. Leave this to the professionals who actually know what risks are," she said with a hint of arrogance in it making a lot of the campers in the room frown at her tone.

"You will only get in the way," Phoebe added glaring at the campers, mainly Naruto who just stared at them in response. She was not happy at how easily Naruto had beaten her and it had embarrassed her big time.

"Professionals? Is that what you call get your ass handed to you and dominated just moments ago," Silena said sarcastically. "Yes the mighty hunters are amazing and yet they just got taken to school by a bunch of lowly campers."

"A bunch of lowly campers that kicked your ass," Thalia added looking at the two hunters as if wanting them to start a fight.

"And where is exactly will you go?" Chiron asked trying to calm things down.

"West," Zoe answered. "You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get six hunters and go."

"Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage. We must find her and free her."

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."

"No!" Zoe said. "The Hunters do not need thy help."

"We do not need the help of some half witted campers," Phoebe spoke venomously as she glared at every person in the room. "We the hunters are the best there is and all that happened tonight was a fluke. A fluke."

"Phoebe is correct. The hunters are personally trained by Artemis and we are the best hope Lady Artemis has at being saved. You campers will not be helping and will only get in our way."

"Keep your campers on tighter leashes centaur," Zoe said everyone glared at her while she and Phoebe were about to walk out.

"Go rally the hunters Phoebe, tell them we will be leaving in ten minutes and to have everything packed."

Phoebe nodded as was about to sprint off before she suddenly got thrown back and staggered a little.

Everyone looked up to see Naruto now standing in the doorway with hair covering his eyes.

"Get out of our way boy," Phoebe shouted before she yelped as Naruto's hand suddenly went forward and punched her in the stomach making her gasp for air as the wind got knocked out of her. She then dropped to her knees as well.

"Normally I hate fighting girls but I think I will make an exception this time since you are really beginning to piss me off," he said as he opened his eyes and Zoe and Phoebe paled slightly when they saw ruby red eyes looking back at them.

"You bastard," Zoe shouted as she gathered her courage. "I knew you were just like the rest of them, just some pig of a man," she said.

"Let me get something clear with you," Naruto said as he walked towards her and got right in her face. "Before I met you I was actually looking forward to meeting the hunters. I thought hey they are my mom's family, maybe one day they might see me as the same. I thought that maybe you would put your prejudices aside and actually come to like me like I hoped I would one day come to like all of you."

"But so far all I have seen is a bunch of arrogant, prideful, hateful bunch of bullies who like to pick on boys simply because of that fact and think it's fun to cause trouble where there is none as well as scold the girls that decide not to follow you and have their own views. I quickly began to see why this camp hates you and the hunters so much and to be honest I don't blame them."

Zoe looked at him in rage.

"Listen here, I do not need to hear this from some mistake that Lady Artemis made because that is all you are, a mistake. A mistake that by the next century will be dead and buried and out of our lives once and for all. You are nothing more than a bad reminder of what our Lady Artemis should not have ever done."

Around the room a lot of glares were pointing towards Zoe, even Chiron and Mr D looked at her in annoyance. While Silena had to be physically restrained by Grover and Annabeth to stop her from bitch slapping Zoe.

Zoe looked tough and defiant but the glares that were looking at her were making her feel a little uncomfortable.

Naruto stood silent as he listened to her words and to his surprise just shrugged. "Maybe I am a mistake, maybe I am not. The fact of the matter is that I am here and this quest to save MY mother was given to me and not you. I don't know about you but I know that when prophecies are not followed, bad things tend to happen, one that you seem to not care about."

He then stood tall which made Zoe feel small of a sudden as she took a step back.

"I am leading this quest Zoe Nightshade, not you. I will pick who goes on this quest and how we go about doing it, not you."

"You can whine, you can complain, you can bitch all you like but the fact of the matter is my mother's safety is my main concern and getting her free is my main goal, not your prejudices and whether you want to act like a spoilt little brat."

"So you will sit your ass down and you will listen because if you or any of your other hunters try to put this quest in jeopardy one more time and threaten any of the people I care about again, then I will break everyone bone in your body and make sure you never walk again."

Naruto then took a calm deep breath as everyone in the room looked at him in amazement. No one had ever dared to stand up to Zoe or speak to her in such a way to her face ever in two thousand years.

The look on her face was a picture of anger, humiliation and fear and her legs even shook a little. Her fists shook a little but deep down she knew the prophecy had to be followed even if she didn't like it or feared it.

To everyone surprise Zoe leaned down, helped Phoebe up and then walked back to their spots. Both of them looked away while Phoebe nursed her stomach, not wanting to look at the campers after their humiliation.

Thalia could not help but grin. That was quite possibly the greatest thing she had ever seen. She wished she had a camera to record it since ZoÃ«'s face was priceless.

Mr D whistled a little. "Never seen a hunter get so owned before," he said before he took a swig of his diet coke.

Silena meanwhile looked at her boyfriend and her cheeks were tinged pink and blushed at how he took charge and pretty much dominated Zoe and Phoebe.

"_I am so turned on right now,"_ she thought as she unknowingly crossed her legs.

Naruto took a deep breath before he decided to remain standing up as Chiron began talking to continue where he left off.

"As I was saying before the campers and hunter must unite if this prophecy is too be completed and for lady Artemis to be freed from her captors," he said before he looked towards Naruto.

"Naruto as this is your quest you will pick who will go with you. You can pick up to five companions to go with you and remember at the very least one of them must be a members of the hunters."

Naruto nodded before looking at room as everyone looked at him wondering who he was going to pick while a select few were hoping that Naruto would pick them.

He stood their silent for about a minute as he weighted the pros' and cons of who to take. Some had their advantages over others and he needed the best for this trip. There could be no mistakes on this trip like there had been on the last two he had been on.

He would not allow his mother to get hurt because of bad planning on their account.

"Grover," he said looking at the satyr who yelped in surprise." How good have your tracking spells gotten since the last time I saw you?" he asked since satyr magic with nature could be a great help in finding Artemis. And with their loyalty to her they would not stop until she was found making Grover an excellent member of the group.

"Oh urm I have really gotten better. It's a success aboutâ€¦..seventy percent of them now," Grover said since his satyr magic you to be very low on the power scale and hardly ever worked.

"That's good then your definantly in," he said as Grover for once looked happy that he got to be a part of a quest.

"I won't let you down," he said as Naruto nodded.

"Silena and Thalia will be my two other picks," he said looking at both girls. "Both have skills in offensive fighting and can supply pressure on our enemies. Plus with Thalia being a close range fighter and Silena being able to mix between close and long, they can help cover one another and have proven that they can work well as a team."

Everyone looked at the two girls and both nodded and gave him a pleasant smile.

"I won't let you down," Silena said as she walked up to him and kissed his cheek.

"I know you won't," he said as he put his arm around her waist and brought her in close.

"I'm not going to kiss you like Silena but I'm in. I'll do everything I can to help," she Thalia said making her the fourth member of the quest.

Naruto nodded at her and then turned to look at Zoe who was avoiding his gaze. He walked up to her and stood just in front of her.

She still did not look up at him since the humiliation moments ago had put her in a bad mood.

"Do you want in?" he asked her as Zoe's head now snapped up to look at him.

"Of course I want in. The hunters will do whatever it takes to save Lady Artemis," she said before Naruto shook his head.

"I did not ask whether the hunters wanted in. I asked whether you did," he said as Zoe narrowed her eyes at him. "Not everything has to be about the hunt you know. You can act separately from it for once."

Zoe's face did not change but after a couple of seconds she nodded.

"Yes, I am in if you will take me," she muttered since she would have to do if the hunters could not all go. She was the strongest member of hunt under Artemis so it made sense that she go.

"Good, you have experience that will no doubt be needed in this trip and since you know how my mother thinks, it could help us understand what she was hunting," he said as Zoe tensed a little before she nodded.

"You can pick the final member," he said as Zoe looked at him in surprise. "Four campers, two hunters should be enough. Since you know the hunters best you can pick which one of them can come with us and know who's skill set will come in handy the most."

Zoe stared at him for a few moments before she nodded and turned her head and let out a meek "thank you."

"That's the group," Naruto said as Chiron nodded while thinking that Naruto had set up a pretty good team.

"Very well. When do wish to depart?" he asked as Naruto thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Tomorrow at first light. It's too late to go now so we can use the rest of the night to prepare and get some sleep since we are probably going to need it he said as those who were going on the quest nodded.

"Very good. Remember you only have until the Winter Solstice. It is imperative that Artemis be there since she has been very vocal on the gathering forces and Kronos rising. Without her there I dread to think that Kronos rising would not even get discussed since Lord Zeus is being stubborn about it," he said as Naruto nodded.

"Wait but I want to go to," Percy called out as he stood up from his seat. "I want to help as well."

Zoe stood up and looked at Percy angrily. "You are not going boy. Two boys are already enough. We do not need a third," she said since the place of the sixth members was her duty and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Not this time Percy," Naruto said shaking his head. "I know you want to help but it's not this time. Take this time that has been given to you to train and get stronger. Gods knows we are going to need it in the coming times," Naruto answered as Chiron nodded in complete agreement.

"You too Annabeth," he said looking towards Annabeth who looked a little flustered. "I don't want you two sneaking out again like last time."

Annabeth and Percy blushed in embarrassment since the repercussions of their sneaking on the Golden Fleece quest during the summer had hit them quite hard. Serving Mr D was not something either of them enjoyed and was something they both wanted to forget.

Said god was looking at them curiously. He wouldn't mind two personal slaves again. It had been so much fun torturing them the last time.

The meeting did not last much longer and after ten more minutes everyone headed back to their cabins.

"One could perish by a parent's hand," Grover said as he walked. "Who would do that? Whose parent would kill them?"

"Let's hope it's not one of ours," Sielna muttered

"And the Titans curse one must bare. That does not bring me a lot of hope," Thalia added since the word Titan was involved, then it even more clear that at some point during the quest, a Titan might appear. Who knew if it was a friendly Titan or an enemy Titan.

"Let's not think about it until the morning. We need our rest," he said as those who were going nodded before they left while Annabeth and Percy spoke quietly to themselves before they headed towards their own cabins.

Walking past them Ino gave him a quick hug, telling him to stay safe while Beckendorf gave him and Silena a pat on the back hoping they get what they wanted accomplished.

Though both felt a little uneasy when they saw the Stolls look like they were scheming something and were up to no good. Neither of them wanted to know what the sons of Hermes were doing.

When they got to the Aphrodite cabin, Silena saw her two sisters on their bests each reading a magazine. "Girls, bathroom, now and don't come out until I tell you too," she said as both looked up and looked at their big sister curious but scampered off when she gave them both a glare.

"What was that about?" Naruto thought before Silena grabbed his collar.

"What are youâ€¦.." he started but was stopped when Silena kissed him passionately. He was caught off guard for a moment before he joined into the kiss and kissed back in equal passion. They both ran their hands through the others hair before Silena broke the kiss and pushed him onto the bed.

He was a little dazed since Silena had never been thisâ€¦fierce before. He tried to sit up but Silena jumped n his and straddled his waist as she kissed him again.

"That was so amazing," in there she said in between kissing him. "Standing up to her like that, it was soâ€¦..amazing. You don't know who sexy you looked when you were so serious and fierce."

"_Woh,"_ was all Naruto could think as Silena sat up for a moment and removed her top to show her athletic body and her lacy black bra. She was about to unclip before Naruto's hands went up and grabbed hers, stopping her as he finally shook himself out of his stupor.

"Silena we talked about this," he said as Silena pouted.

"I know but I don't want to wait," she said disappointingly.

The topic of sex had come up between the two since now that they had been together for over half a year and since they had been sleeping in the same bed for all that time, they had woken up in precarious positions and had on more than one occasion seen the other naked.

Though it was an accident each time, it did get the blood pumping for both of them so to speak.

"We said we would wait a bit longer. Plus we can't do this while your sisters are in the bathroom. What if they and others hear us," he said which though it did sound pretty appealing he didn't want them to rush into that side of a relationship since sex really a deal breaker for couples and it was what cemented whether or not they would be right for one another.

While most guys would have jumped at the chance to have bedded such a beautiful girl, Naruto was not like other guys. He loved Silena, that much was true but he just felt that the two just were not quite ready for sex yet.

Silena pouted soon softened and nodded In agreement. "Right I'm sorry. I guess that really was not a very good excuse for us to share our first time together. You just make it so hard to control myself," she said as Naruto grinned.

"Well you do not exactly make it easier either you know," he said teasingly as he kissed her neck making her squirm a little from the touch.

She grinned coyly at him before whispering in his ear. "You know just because we won't have sex, does not mean there are not other things we could do," she said hot into his ear making a shiver go down his spine.

She smiled at him before she went to grab his pants buttons and undo them. The action made Naruto go a little wide eyed as she suddenly yanked them off leaving him in his boxers.

She then crawled on top of him but just as she grabbed the hem of his boxers a nervous cough got their attention.

"Could you both cut that out please," they heard as they both turned their heads to see Hestia standing there looking away and embarrassed to have seen her grandson and his girlfriend in such a way.

"GRAN," Naruto shouted as he covered his bottom half since he did not want his grandmother to see his boxers but he inadvertently knocked Silena off the bed.

"Owe," Silena said as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

"Hehe Gran what brings you here?" he said nervously as he gulped, hoping she did not scold him since being told off by a grandparent was a little embarrassing.

"I think you know why I am here Naruto," she said softly as the panicked and goofy expression he wore faded away and was replaced by a soft but serious look.

Silena saw them and quickly put her shirt back on. "I will let you both talk for a moment," she said quietly as she slipped into the bathroom where her sister were still waiting.

Hestia nodded her thanks and waited until the door closed for them to begin speaking.

"The quest has been given then?" she asked as Naruto nodded.

"Earlier this evening after the capture the flag game. The oracle actually left the attic to give us this one," he said as she nodded.

"Yes I am not surprised. This prophecy is of great importance. Your mother being captured was not something any of us on Olympus could of predicted happening. She is normally careful when facing enemies of this caliber but the surprised must have been what caught her off guard."

"Does anyone have any idea who it was that has taken her?" Naruto asked but felt a little disappointed when she shook her head.

"No one knows. Whoever it is they are powerful enough to obscure our line of sight. Whoever it is, they do not want to be seen."

"Whoever it is know which gods to keep it from and who will not bother to look. Myself and Apollo have been trying to use the hearth to find her or Apollo's prophetic powers but we have had no leads. They have had their bases covered very well."

Naruto nodded. "When I saw her, she was worried about something that she had to hunt. She said it was something that she had almost forgotten about and had not seen in so many years. She looked and sounded scared as if whatever it was would be a great threat not only to her but to all of Olympus."

"Do you have any idea what she could have been hunting?"

Hestia sat there with a furrowed brow as she thought but in her mind she honestly could not say for certain what it was." I do not know. There are a number of creatures or entities that pose a threat to Olympus, it is honestly too difficult to say unless we have a clear view of what it is."

Naruto sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. They had so little to go on. They knew she was somewhere west but where west? She could be anywhere up or down the western seaboard that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Do you think she is okay?" he asked in a tone that made him sound like a child again.

Once again Hestia looked at him and saw a young boy who was gravely worried about his mother and just wanted to see her safe again.

She leaned forward and like she had done many times before now, she pressed her forehead to his and gave him a reassuring hand squeeze.

"Artemis will make it out of this, I know she will. She is tough, she is skilled and more importantly she is a survivor. She has faced foes like this before and she knows how to play against them."

"But what if I fail?" He asked looking directly into her eyes but Hestia just laughed a little and placed her hand on his head and gave him a warm smile.

"You won't fail. You want to know why?" she said making him shake his head.

"Because you are the son of the strongest Hokage that has ever lived and the most stubborn woman who has ever walked on Olympus. And you're my grandson, I have faith in you. You and your group will save Artemis and you will all go home together."

"It won't be easy, far from it in fact but I know that you will all pull through it."

"How can you be so sure though? I have made plenty of mistakes before," he said since it sounded like a lot to live up too.

"It's simple. You're my grandson. If I cannot believe and put my hopes into you, then who can I?"

She then leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead signalling to him that she had the utmost faith in him before she then flickered away.

Naruto sat there and closed his while nodding his head.

"_I can do this,"_ he thought before he put his pants back on and got some sealing scrolls out along with a brush and ink. He began creating storage seals to be ready to pack all the stuff that he was going to take along with him that would benefit the group.

If there was anything he had learnt from his past two quests, it was to expect the unexpected and to expect the worst and foulest monster to come after them.

"_Nothing new then,"_ he thought before he began packing stuff away, ready for the next day.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Naruto stood beside Grover as Thalia and Silena spoke to one another with Annabeth who had come to wave them off.

Luna and Tiber were by Naruto with Tiber saying good bye to Luna since Naruto decided he wanted one of the wolves to come with them. Since wolves and dogs could sense and hear things to a much greater distance then humans could, then Luna would be a great early warning alarm if they come across any monster or enemies nearby.

_"Come back safe,"_ Tiber whined to Luna who delicately licked Tiber's nose making the black dire wolf look at her softly and nuzzle into her.

Naruto looked at it with a smile as well as a raised eyebrow. _"I wonder if those two are mates?"_ He thought.

He thought it was likely that they were sibling pups since they were together when he found them but it did not bother him since most of Olympus were related in some way and it never stopped them. Plus with wolves he doubted it was that much of a big deal.

They were scheduled to leave at six am but had decided to meet up twenty minutes earlier. It was now 05:55 am and there was still no sign of either Zoe or the other huntress.

"Where the hell are they?" Silena groaned as Thalia began to wonder the same thing. "They made such a fuss about it yesterday and now when we are about to leave they don't even show up."

"You don't think they left already do you?" Annabeth asked thinking the hunter would take off since they did not care much for rules and Phoebe made it abundantly clear what she thought of the campers.

"It does seem like something they would do," Thalia gritted out but Chiron calmed them.

"No, no if the hunters had left then we would have known about it. The Harpy alarms would have gone off if they did. Plus I can see the lights are still on in cabin eight," he said pointing to the cabins.

Looking over they all sow what he had meant and saw the lights were indeed on. If Naruto squinted he could see multiple shadows walking past it and none of the shadows looked very happy if the shaking arms were any indication.

"Plus after how Naruto put them in their place, I don't think they would dare defy the order anymore," Annabeth added as Silena and Thalia grinned happily at the memory.

"How about I go find out what is taking them?" he said as Chiron nodded, thinking that it would be the best idea since he knew Naruto was eager to get going.

He patted Luna and Tiber gently on the head as he walked past and set off for the cabin.

"_What the heck is taking them so long. For a group of girls that were such a pain in the ass yesterday, they sure have a funny way of showing their loyalty,"_ he thought.

When he got there he was about to knock on the door when he heard shouting coming from multiple members of the hunt. None sounded too pleases and he could not quite make out what they were saying since it was a little muffled and they were speaking rather quickly.

He knocked three times on the door like before but he guessed they did not hear him since after half a minute nobody answer the door.

He knocked again and still the same thing happened.

_"This is ridiculous,"_ he thought before he took a step back before he brought up right leg and kicked the door wide open.

When he entered he was met with multiple arrows aimed at him which made him raise an eyebrow. "Hey you girls were the ones who did not answer when I knocked on the door."

A few of the older ones scowled while the younger girls looked a little embarrassed.

"Put your bows down girls," Zoe commanded and they all did as such.

"What are you doing here?" she asked walking up to him having gained her confidence back after the argument from last night.

"I came wondering why you and the other hunter have not left yet. We are leaving in five minute," he said as Zoe looked a little surprised before cursing under her breath.

" I lost track of time. We have had a problem to deal with this morning," she said as she motioned over towards one of the beds where one of the hunters was lying in with some of the other girls all sitting around.

Naruto looked over and saw the girl Phoebe lying there all sweaty and covered in a red rash and hives. It went up and down her arms, legs and even bits of her neck. She looked like she was trying to scowl but did not have the energy to do so as well as not scratch the rash since it would scar over if she did it too much.

"What happened? He asked since she really did look awful. "She was fine last night. What brought this on?"

"We think it was this," one of the younger hunters said as they held a t-shirt in a gloved hand and looked at it rather distrustfully.

Naruto took the shirt into his own gloved though used chakra to cover his fingers tips since they were uncovered and looked for it for a moment. It read ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2001 and then had a list of national parks and forest reserves listed at the bottom.

He brought it up to his nose and took in the scent before he recoiled a little before he shook it off. The other hunters looked at him as if waiting for answers.

"Centaur blood is laced over it. The scent is faint buts it's there," he said as he handed it to Zoe who did the same. It took a moment longer but she scowled, showing that she could smell it as well.

Naruto thought over yesterday and while Zoe cursed like a sailor he remembered a certain pair from the Hermes cabin that was up to no good and had a mischievous look on their faces.

"Phoebe were the ones who gave you this shirt by any chance about this high, black hair, elfish looks and have a look in their eyes that looked rather mischievous," he asked as Phoebe turned to him.

It took her a moment to answer but she nodded her head, confirming what he thought.

"Alright I'll be back in just a moment. I think I know who did this," he said as the hunters watched Naruto leave the cabin and head towards the Hermes cabin.

They watched him give a small prayer before he kicked the door in similar to what he did with their cabin door and began hearing a ruckus and some shouting coming from the cabin. After another moment he came out with Connor and Travis, holding onto their collars as he dragged them over to cabin eight.

"No don't take us there," they both called out but Naruto ignored them.

He then walked in and put them in front of the hunters who were glaring at Connor and Travis who looked like frightened children.

"Urm hey," they both said nervously as the girl toyed with their hunting knives.

"Now you two idiots have caused a bit of a kink in the quest," Naruto said as he bopped them on the heads much to the amusement of the girls. "Phoebe was supposed to be the sixth member for the quest however because of your little stunt with this t shirt she can no longer go and the quest is now one man down."

"So because this is your fault, you will be punished for this."

Connor and Travis looked nervous at Naruto, not liking the tone he was talking to them with. "What are you going to do to us?"

"Me nothing," he said before he pointed to the girls behind him. "They however will be a different story. Since the girls will be here for a couple of more days I have decided that until I come back to the camp which might be about a week away, you two are going to be their personal little servants."

Connor and Travis paled and went looked in horror as the hunters all looked pleased and smiled evilly at the two sons of Hermes.

"Now the hunters and I may not have gotten off to a great start, I do value their safety and do not like that someone has tried to hurt them for whatever reasons."

"But you punched phoebe in the gut last night," Connor said.

"True I did but that was because she insulted me and my friends and had done so since I first met her. I wish I didn't have to but sometimes action is the only way to get the message across. All I did was show her I would not be pushed around," he said as he turned his head to look at Phoebe who looked at him through the bangs of her hair that covered her eyes.

She looked in his eyes and saw that he was being sincere. That he wished he did not have to harm her like he did but she and Zoe had pushed him. Deep down she slowly began to understand that he was justified in doing so. Last night she and Zoe had not painted a very good picture for the hunters.

She did not speak but instead gave him a tiny nod and was surprised to see him give her a tiny smile back. The younger hunters saw it and had tiny smiles appear on their faces too while the older ones didn't show their feelings.

"_Perhaps there is a chance_," the older ones thought before he headed towards the door.

"Girls other then killing them, maiming them or hurting them, they are all yours. Do be gentle since I doubt Hermes wants to bury two sons," he said before he left the cabin with a prepared Zoe trailing behind him.

Connor and Travis held onto ones another as the hunters looked at them evilly and crept forward towards them.

"Daddy help us," they said but no help came to the poor sons of Hermes.

Walking back to the top of the hill Naruto and Zoe walked in silence while Zoe stole quick glances of Naruto.

After the night of humiliation she had endured she had gone back to the cabin in a rage and had been physically throwing a tantrum. The others girl steered clear of Zoe since could be scary when she was angry.

However after she had calmed down and gone to bed and thought back on it, perhaps the words she had said to him were a little out of context and were a little too harsh. Losing the game had not helped either so not getting to lead the quest had pushed those negative feeling up some.

She kept glancing towards Naruto and wondered since she would be the only hunter on this quest, that maybe, just maybe she could see him as more than how she originally perceived him.

_"Lady Artemis would be unhappy if the other girls and I did not get along and I would just cause more harm than good,"_ she thought.

In that moment she decided that she would not let another moment like last night happen again and through this trip she would try to put her hunter pride and views aside and see if Naruto truly was different from other men.

As it got to six o clock, they arrived back on the hill and she saw the others all waiting for them along with the big forms of the two dire wolves.

"Nice of you to finally arrive," Thalia said tapping her foot while Zoe glared at her.

Then again it did not mean she had to be nice to Thalia or the others.

"Aren't we missing one?" Chiron said noticing the lack of one hunter.

"Phoebe was suppose to come but she fell ill due to a prank from the Stolls," Naruto said as they all groaned and Chiron shook his head.

"Those boys."

"So it will just be the five of us on the quest," he said as Chiron looked a little worried at that.

"Are you sure Naruto. The prophecy did say six had to go"

Naruto nodded. "I know but with Luna coming with us, technically that would make six when you think about it," he said as he patted her head.

"We are taking the dire wolf?" Zoe asked surprised.

Naruto told her yes and explained his reasoning. Zoe listened and nodded, having to admit it was a good idea having a dire wolf with them. Their senses such as smell and hearing were even better then hunting dogs or regular wolves.

"In that case it's time to go. Daylight is upon us and we do not have much time until the Winter Solstice," Chiron said as they began bidding their farewells.

"Stay safe and come home alive," Annabeth asked as she hugged Naruto tightly.

"I will Bethy. I will do my best," he said as he kissed the top of her head

Annabeth then went around and said goodbye to the rest of the group before she left to go back to her cabin. They wondered where Percy was but they figured the seaweed brain must have overslept again.

They headed down the opposite side of the hill and piled into the van with Argus driving them at the front and Luna hoping into the back as they headed off to save the goddess in chains.

* * *

**Chapter Six Completed**

**Sorry if there might have been some grammar mistakes and stuff, I am trying to find a new beta for this story.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	7. Chapter 7

**Beta'd by anime-death-angel**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Quest Begins**

The van was silent as it moved down the highway heading away from the city of New York, all with different thoughts and hopes as they entered the newly found quest that had been given to them.

Naruto sat in the back behind Argus who was driving them to their destination and had Silena and Thalia sitting to his right.

Zoe was stationed up front since Naruto figured it might not be best to have the hunter sit next to Silena and Thalia who had both been shown to have a kind of grudge against her. Then again, it was probably the same for Zoe and he did not need a three-way argument breaking out between the girls.

Grover sat in the back cleaning his reed pipes, preparing them for later since his tracking magic would be great help in discovering the way to Artemis's prison.

Finally beside him was Luna and had two of the seats taken out to make room for the giant dire wolf who lay comfortably on her stomach with her head laying on the floor of the van.

They wondered at first how they were going to stop people from seeing a giant dire wolf that went up to someone chests in height. They could not exactly hide her since she was a little big to hide, even if it was New York.

So thankfully Thalia came up with the suggestion of hiding her with the mist. Wrap the mist around her so that when mortals saw her, all they saw was a regular sized Labrador. It was definantly the safer of choices and it meant that Naruto could keep her beside him.

She may have been a wolf but apart from her first days of life, she had spent most of it with Tiber always beside her and in the safe environment of camp with the nature spirits watching over her and feeding her. This was the time for her to develop her wolf skills and become a natural born wolf.

At some point in time he would have to do the same for Tiber since he was the male and would most likely grow up to be the Alpha of the duo and Luna would be the Beta and possible mate.

"You okay back their girl?" Naruto asked as he turned around to look at Luna who lifted her head up to look at him. He put his hand out and gently nuzzled the top of her snout while she licked his hand in response.

"_I'm okay. It feels weird in here though. I don't like it much."_ She said to him making him look at her a little sympathetically.

"I know you don't but it won't be for very long. It's just until we get to a good spot to start off from. From then on we will be on foot for some of it while we can take larger transportation west."

Luna nodded her head as Naruto continued to pat her head.

A second pair of hands then appeared on her as Silena had turned around noticing the conversation the two were having.

"Is the vehicle a little much for her?" Silena asked as Naruto shrugged a little.

"A little but it's nothing she can't handle. She is a tough ole beast aren't you Luna." He said as she nodded her head and licked Silena's hand making the daughter of Aphrodite laugh a little at the feeling.

Though she nudged him a little when he called her an ole beast and he heard her whining at the name. He just laughed.

"She really is a beautiful animal. Where did you find her and Tiber again?" Thalia asked since while she was not as close to the two Dire Wolves as some of the others were, but she recognized how beautiful they were and how incredibly rare they were.

As Naruto explained where he found them on the back of a truck from black marketers, he noticed Zoe was leaning in a little to listen to the conversation as well on Luna and Tiber sparing her interest and felt rage that some lowlifes would treat animals in such a way.

"What happened to the other animals in the truck?" Thalia asked.

It was Grover who spoke up this time as he continued to clean is reed pipes. "We freed them and I put a wild spell on them so that they could find a safe habitat to live in. We were going to do the same for the Dire Wolves but they had bonded with Naruto so we thought it was best to keep them with him."

"Back when I could actually hold then in my hands." He said smiling at Luna who was now getting back in her comfortable spot.

"What happened to Dire Wolves anyway? How come they are so rare?"

Grover was going to answer but Zoe answered for him.

"Mankind is what happened to them." She said as she gained their attention.

"Mankind began to grow and became more developed in their ways of buildings and technology. Over time they began to seek out more and more lands to build on and call their own. A lot of the lands that were first hit belonged to Dire Wolves and because they were beginning to lose their homes, they began to die out."

"While Dire Wolves still remain today they are very few in number and very scarce. Even the hunt have trouble finding them because they are so elusive."

"Something the hunt could not find. How shocking." Thalia muttered making Zoe glare at her before both sank back in their seats when Naruto glared at them, daring them to start arguing.

"The last time I saw a Dire Wolf properly until the other day with the ones at Camp Half Blood was almost three centuries ago.

"So they prefer to live in remote places?" He asked as Zoe nodded.

"They prefer to stay away from big city areas or large towns. Preferring giant wooded areas or mountain ranges, things like that. Anywhere that is away from humanity and humankind would be ideal for them. They like the peace and quiet and like to be just with their own kind."

"How many would you say of them are left out there?" He asked since he wondered how many Dire Wolves really remained alive and that perhaps Luna and Tiber's parents were out there somewhere.

Zoe sat silent for a moment as she thought it over, looking a little unsure which was not a very good sign.

"I am unsure of that to be honest. Since they are so elusive, it really is impossible to really determine. If I guessed then I would maybe say a few hundred at best to a hundred at the least."

"That's so small." Silena muttered still petting Luna's head and looked at her a little sadly.

"Well in the world today animals that use to be on top of the foot chain years ago can very easily be knocked down with all the weapons that are made and the kind of people that want to hunt them for sport as such."

They all fell silent as the only sound that remained was the wheels across the cement drive way. Thalia went to looking out the window while Silena leaned her head onto Naruto's shoulder who was more than happy to oblige.

"So what do we do first?" Silena asked. "What is the first move?"

"Well first we need to figure out where my mom is. We know she is out west but where west exactly. We need to somehow get a more specific location."

"How do we go about doing that though?"

Naruto thought on it for a moment before answering.

"We are heading away from New York and from my experience there are monsters around almost every corner. Whether it is Hellhounds, Cyclops, Telekhines, whichever, normally the monsters find us, maybe we should reverse the roles a little." He said as everyone looked at him funny.

"Thee explain." Zoe asked wanting him to elaborate.

"Kronos's army is gathering and monsters from all over the American continent is gathering and a lot of them were heading to New York right since it's where Olympus is." They all nodded.

"Correct, the Hunters have had skirmishes almost nonstop for the last few months."

"Right which means all monsters around here must be aware by now that the goddess that hunts them has been captured and has been rendered useless. So if we capture one alive and poke it around for informationâ€¦."

"Then we might be able to find out the location of Artemis as well as get a better sense of a location to where she is," Thalia added as realization dawned on them.

"That's makes sense." Grover said while Zoe looked at Naruto a little impressed.

"And since we have a hunter with us who probably knows a thing or two about how to torture monsters and people." He said looking at Zoe who nodded back at him.

"Find me a monster to interrogate and I will get the answers that we need." She said as everyone nodded.

Before the conversation could continue, they were waved to by Argus who tried to get their attention. He tapped on the dashboard of the car that had the vans fuel symbols.

Naruto leaned over and looked at Argus. "You need to get gas?" He asked as the hundred eyed man nodded.

"Okay but we have to make it quick." He said as Argus nodded again and then pulled up into a nearby gas station.

As Argus got out, Naruto noticed there was coffee shop attached to the gas station and thought now would be as good as a time to get something warm in their stomachs since they might not get much of a chance later on.

They were currently a couple of hours out of New York and were somewhere around Maryland from what they gathered from the signs that none of them had decided to follow.

Naruto took down everyone's orders before he went into the store with Silena beside him, leaving Thalia and Grover with Zoe.

Grover was stuck standing in the middle between the two powerful females and prayed to whoever was listening that the two did not start something since he would not be able to stop them from fighting.

They stood there quietly for a moment and watched Naruto and Silena get their food and drinks from the windows and Grover shuffled a little, the silence being a little uncomfortable.

Thalia looked at Zoe from the corner of her eyes while Zoe did the same. When their eyes met, they turned away and looked in the opposite direction.

After a moment, Thalia groaned before she looked back towards Zoe.

"Alright look Nightshade." She said getting Zoe's attention. "I don't like you and you don't like me. But I think for this quest we are going to have to work together if we want to save Artemis since this quest is going to be no cake walk.

Zoe looked at her intently trying to see if Thalia had some ulterior motive but she could not sense her lying.

"And what exactly did you have in mind?" She asked leaning forward.

"We work together and we put our differences aside for once. This quest is important to not only you but is very important to Naruto since this is his mother we are dealing with and he has had enough bad things happen to him for him to lose her as well.

"You talk as if you know him well."

"I might not know him as well as the Silena or Annabeth, Percy or Grover but in a short time he became my friend. He is willing to risk his life to protect me and the others, what kind of a friend would I be if I did not return that. And me and you arguing is not going to help.

Zoe looked a little thoughtful and while she agreed that she and Thalia really did not get along with one another since she found the daughter of Zeus ratherâ€¦.unruly and not caring much for rules, it would benefit the quest if the two of them did not fight and actually put their differences aside, even if it was for this one time.

Thalia extended her hand in all seriousness while Grover looked between the two wondering if Zoe would accept. Zoe took a moment to think on it before she nodded and shook Thalia's hand, agreeing to their truce for the sake of the quest.

"Very well. I will agree along as thee keeps her end of the truce." She said as Thalia nodded.

"Then we are in an agreement." She said as Grover exhaled deeply before smiling. With Zoe and Thalia now on agreeable terms then the quest got a little bit simpler.

They then lapsed back into silence as Argus went to go pay for the gas and Zoe sat beside Luna and patted her gently allowing a small smile to grace her face as Luna licked her hand making a ticking sensation engulf her and making her silently laugh.

'_I wish I had found you. You would have been a great addition to the hunt.'_ Zoe thought before haring footsteps heading towards them and saw two guys approaching them, both with sly smiles on their face's which immediately made Zoe narrow her eyes at them.

They looked like two bikers with long hair and mainly black clothes with plenty of metal jewellery around their necks and around their wrists.

"Hey sweetheart." one of them said as he leaned against the van. "How you doing, you look a little lost. Maybe I can help you with that."

Zoe scoffed and ignored him while Thalia was being spoken to by the other guy. They looked in their early twenties and Zoe noticed in the back of their pockets they each had a knife.

"It's not nice to ignore me sweetheart." He said towards Zoe who just glared at him and turned her head hoping he took the hint before she knocked him into next week.

The man gritted his teeth a little, not happy with the attitude Zoe was giving him and went forward and grabbed her arm. The other man saw this and walked towards them. Thalia looked ready to zap someone while Grover looked a little lost, not knowing what to do.

"Your being rude sweetheart." The man said as he took his pocketknife out of his pocket and looked ready to use it.

Zoe was about to go forward and give them both a beating of a lifetime as she glared at them with a venomous look but to the surprise two hands from behind grabbed them and slammed their heads into each other.

They dropped like a sack of potatoes as Naruto was seen behind them glaring down at the two males who tried to take advantage of her.

"Get lost." he said before grabbing them by the collar and threw them both in a nearby bin before closing the lid on top of them and locking them in with a padlock before dusting his hands of the filth.

Zoe looked at him in surprise since she did not expect him to defend her like that but he just shrugged as he looked at her.

"I don't like people like them. They give the men that are worth knowing a bad name." He said before he saw Silena coming towards them with something to eat while he unsealed the drink he got for everyone.

"Your hot chocolate." He said passing it over to Zoe who took it in her hands to keep them warm.

"Thank you." She said quietly for both the drink and for defending her as Naruto began passing them around to the others and Silena gave everyone a warm brownie to fill their stomach for the time being and to keep them in warm and good shape overall. She said nothing to Zoe since the two of them were still not on very good terms.

"So where are we going to try and find a monster to interrogate?" Thalia asked as she took a sip of her hot chocolate and wiped away the chocolate moustache it gave her.

"Well, to be honest I was thinking central Park. I have had run-ins with Hellhounds in there before plus there are plenty of wood spirits there. It could be a good place to start." Naruto said as they all nodded as the plan was pretty sound.

"Plus with Luna here she should be able to pick up a scent of a monster nearby. Hopefully we will get lucky and it will only be one of the weaker monsters instead of the big nasty's."

"Not only that but with three demi gods, a satyr and a huntress, our scents all together should be a magnet for monsters anyway. We're pretty much homing beacons." Silena added.

"I hope that's true but we will just have to put up with whatever we can get."

As they spoke Argus came back out of the coffee shop but instead of getting in the car, he stood in front of Naruto and dropped some keys in his hand.

"What's this?" He asked as Argus pointed to the keys and then to the car and then back to Naruto. "Wait you want me to drive?" Naruto asked as he nodded his head.

"But what about you?" He asked before Argus gave them all a wave before he disappeared in a mist.

They just stood there and looked at the spot.

"Well that's great. There goes our driver." Thalia said glaring at the spot where Argus use to be standing.

"He probably cannot go too far away from the camp. This must have been as far as he was able to go. I don't think he was able to stay away from the camp for too long." Silena guessed.

"Hey guys look." Grover called getting their attention as his reed pipes glowed from the magic he was using along with the tracking spell. "I got something."

Everyone crowded around Grover and pulled out a map. The map flickered around a little before the reed pipes shot forward a tiny glow that hit the map and caused it to land on one of the cites that was displayed on it.

"Washington D.C." He all said looking at the map.

"Well at least we have somewhere to go. Are you sure about this Grover?" They asked as the satyr nodded his head furiously.

"I'm positive. I felt a tingling sensation as I performed the magic and it was like nature was telling me to go to Washington. Whatever is there it links to Artemis. I'm sure of it."

They all looked at each other before looking at Naruto who thought it over.

He bobbed his head up and down a little before speaking. "It's the best lead we have got so far and it's good that we have it so early on."

"Okay but what do we do about getting there?" Thalia asked. "None of us are exactly able to drive." She said as she leaned against the van.

Naruto looked thoughtful since it was a bit of a problem they had to face and was about to just say that he would attempt to drive when Zoe stuck her hand out.

"Let me drive. I have some past experience in driving one of these vehicles and it should be sufficient enough to get us to the central park."

Everyone looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"You know how to drive? When on earth did you learn how to drive? Lady Artemis does not strike me as the type to take driving lessons?" Silena asked in suspicion voicing what everyone else was thinking.

Zoe scowled at the accusation before speaking.

"Lady Artemis teaches us many things that might come on handy one day. In the forties, she took us to multiple battle sites so that she could teach the hunters what war was like and what consequences they had. For some of the hunters we decide to pick up skills that would help us blend in better in the mortal world."

"And driving was one of them?" Thalia asked raising an eyebrow.

"We thought it could come in handy one day and by the looks of things right now, it is a good thing that I decided to learn." She said as she looked at Naruto with her hand still extended.

For Naruto it sounded a little farfetched but right now they really did not have much of an option. Plus there was no need to make clones and carry everyone right now so early on into the quest.

He dropped the keys into her hand and she nodded at him as if saying he made the right choice.

The others looked at him in surprise while he shrugged. "It not like we have much of a choice in the matter."

Deciding to go along with it the others shrugged as well and piled back into the car while letting Luna get back in the back of the van.

After fastening their seats belt and watching Zoe as she made herself comfortable and gripped the steering wheel. Then with a great push, she slammed down on the accelerator while adjusting the gears and the van went shooting forward.

* * *

**Olympus**

Hestia walked down the cobbled paths as she made her way to her nephew Apollo's temple at quick pace while ignoring everything else that was going on around her.

She was aware the quest for her niece and daughter in law had started today and was being headed by her grandson. While she was confident he could do it and save his mother Artemis, it still made her worry.

"'_It's always him that seems to be put in these dangerous situations.'_ She thought before she arrived at Apollo's temple which was large and grand with a giant statue of him in the front made of gold, used for boosting his ego more then what it already was.

Not bothering to open the door, she leaned in and saw Apollo there and with Athena and Hermes standing with him as Apollo was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and focusing on a large globe.

"Trying to find her again?" She said making her presence known as they all nodded.

"I don't get it. I just can't seem to find her anywhere. It's like she just disappeared off the face of the earth." Apollo said saddened as Hermes patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Whoever it is must be powerful if they are pulling the wool over our eyes like this so to speak. I worry who has our sister." Athena said trying to look stoic and calm while inwardly was worried for her younger sister.

"Then we must have hope that those chosen and on the quest to find her will do just that and bring her home." Hestia said.

"Did they leave already?" Hermes asked as she nodded.

"Yes earlier this morning at first light. Naruto was given the prophecy and we know he will stop at nothing to save her. Zoe Nightshade as well is on the quest."

"That's good at least." Apollo said before he closed his eyes to try and find Artemis again. "With those two on a team together then they will find her. One is her child and the other has loyalty like no other to her." Apollo said in an oddly serious voice.

"They may need our help along the way." Athena said as Hestia nodded.

"Then we shall provide it. The rules be damned when one of our own has been taken from us." Hestia said with authority as everyone nodded before they went back to looking at the globe. "And if Zeus has a problem with that then he can take it up with me."

If Zeus dared to show any hint of resistance when others were trying to find his lost daughter then Hestia promises she would bitch slap him to the other side of Olympus.

'_Find her little nephew. You might be the only hope Artemis has of ever having freedom again.' _Apollo thought before going back to his efforts.

* * *

**Later On**

Naruto opened his side of the van door as he took a wobbly step out of the vehicle while needing to hold onto the side of the van to keep himself upright and stable. He looked a little green as he felt a little light headed as well.

Next to him the other vans doors opened and Silena, Thalia and Grover were all in a similar state as they wobbled out.

Grover fell to the ground and kissed the ground, ever being so happy to feel the ground beneath him in such a way before while Thalia slid down the side of the van as she took a few deep breaths.

Silena meanwhile looked disorientated and clung to his arm.

Never in all his life had Naruto ever feared being in a vehicle before like he had just done now.

Zoe's driving could only be described in one word.

Terrifying. Downright terrifying.

She obviously had ignored the break peddle because not once did she use it and the amount of swerving and near hits they had encountered were too many to count. They had almost hit five people and smashed into four street side food vendors

For once Naruto had actually feared for his life and this time it was not something that was trying to kill him but a teenage looking hunter who claimed she could drive.

'_I think I would have preferred clinging to Gamabunta's back while he tries to throw me off then what I just experienced.'_ Naruto said as he felt his stomach finally beginning to settle down and return to normal.

On the driver's side, Zoe got out of the van and looked at them all in curiosity as if she did not already know why they were in such a state.

"What has thee looking so ill?" She asked.

Hearing her speak, Silena glared at Zoe before Silena jumped at her and looked ready to throttle her but Naruto managed to grab onto her by wrapping his arms around her waists and preventing her from trying to pound Zoe into the ground.

"The hell kind of driving was that? You almost killed us."

"What are thee talking about? We got here safely did we not? We are all alive and therefore my driving was perfectly satisfactory thank you." She said putting her hands on her hips which only made Silena want to rip her to pieces even more.

Silena tried to wriggle out of Naruto's hold but she was not going anywhere.

After a few minutes of calming Silena down, they let Luna out, who to the sad glances of the five, wobbled a little and could not walk in a straight line, the drive obviously having a bad effect on her.

'_Me feel dizzy.'_ Luna whined as she bonked into a street lamp as the demi gods and satyrs did the best not to chuckle.

"It's okay Luna just take a minute to get your bearings." Naruto said as Luna complied and took a moment to steady herself.

As they waited for a moment, Naruto could hear the flapping of heavy wings coming from above and behind him.

He looked up and saw some kind of black speck appear in the sky before it quickly disappeared and flew behind the one of the buildings.

Naruto would have said it was some kind of flying creature but since he just went on the van hell ride that he never wanted to experience ever again, he thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him since he looked back a moment later and nothing had reappeared and the flapping of heaving wings was no longer there.

'_Must have been my mind playing tricks on me.'_ He thought before he shook his head.

After a moment the five and Luna began to walk around the streets, hoping that it would somehow give them some kind of clue as to what to do next.

Luna had her snout on the ground sniffing out anything that smelled remotely like a monster while Grover played his reed pipes, performing a tracking spell that could help them get to Artemis's location. They may have been thousands of miles away from the West but better to start early. Plus since it helped them get to Washington, then perhaps it can help them find what they are looking for there.

Meanwhile Naruto was using his enhanced eyesight to try and spot any monsters on the horizon while Zoe looked to the ground for any kind of monster tracks that she might have recognized.

It was more difficult due to the freshly fallen snow that fell during the night and had covered up most of the grass and the dirt but Zoe had tracked in the snow thousands of times before and was use to this kind of situation.

They ignored the few people that were walking the streets of DC and most ignored Luna since all they saw was a Labrador thanks to the mist. After a moment, Zoe spotted something in the ground on a small grass bank.

"Over here." She said getting everyone's attention and swept some snow away as everyone leaned in to see some kind of human like paw print.

"A Telekhine foot print. I have seen many of these in the last few months that I recognize it instantly." She said as Luna got a whiff of the scent before Naruto saw her eyes narrow. He too took a whiff and after a few moments locked onto a scent that she also must have noticed.

"Follow Luna." He said as Luna shot forward and ran as fast as her legs could take her as they all chased after her and did their best to follow as they ran down the streets of Washington.

Naruto ran alongside her while the others trailed behind quite a distance since Luna and Naruto's speed were great, even Zoe was surprised at their speed since it surpassed her and the hunters.

They then watched as both disappeared down an alleyway and as they approached, they heard a loud growl rip out through the air and some kind of conflict as metal was getting thrown around and dustbins were being knocked away.

As Grover, Silena, Zoe and Thalia arrived down the dirty and narrow alleyway, they found themselves looking at Luna with her powerful jaw clenched into the shoulder of a Telekhine that had dropped metals and rock materials to the side of him. Naruto was also there patting her head and looking at Luna with pride.

"She got him." Zoe said a little surprise.

"She sure did, took him clean out. He fought back a little but she had him pinned within seconds. She just showed how powerful and amazing she is." He said as he patted her head softly as did Zoe, now fully believing Luna was a great hunting partner if she could take down a full grown Telekhine on her own with little trouble.

The Telekhine looked at them all in slight fear but steeled himself, not wanting to look weak in front of the demi gods.

"Zoe, do your thing." Naruto said as Zoe nodded.

She walked up to the Telekhine that looked at her a little fearfully before she grabbed the shoulder that Luna still had her jaw in and pushed her finger tips into the wound.

"AHHHHH!" The Telekhine cried out as the pain engulfed his shoulder before Zoe's other hand grabbed his faces.

"Where is Lady Artemis?" She said clearly and simply.

The Telekhine was about to take a swipe at her with his good arm but Zoe's hunting knife appeared in her hand and stabbed into his hand and pinned it to the ground making more pain engulf him.

"Iâ€¦I don't know." He said as Zoe applied more pressure to the wound while Luna did the same.

"Where is Lady Artemis." She repeated but again the pain was stopping the Telekhine from talking.

"I swear I don't know. All I heard is that someone managed to capture her and that their out west somewhere. But I swear I don't know where she is."

"Let me have a go. I think I can get him to talk." Silena said as Naruto understood now that she was going to use her charm speak to get the answers they wanted.

Instead of arguing, Zoe moved over a little and gave Silena room to look at the Telekhine face to face.

"Where is Lady Artemis?" She said speaking with her charm speak power in full play and her voice sounding like a lullaby making the Telekhine answer her almost immediately.

"I do not know the location of Artemis other then she is out west somewhere." He said now making them realize that he was telling the truth.

"You have Aphrodite's charm speak." Zoe said surprised since she had never met one of the loves goddesses children to inherit that ability.

Silena just nodded her head as she thought of something else to ask the monster since this could be a great moment to gather some information from it.

"Is there anything in Washington DC that could help lead us to the whereabouts of Lady Artemis?" She asked as the others all leaned in. He did not speak at first so Zoe dug her blade in further into his hand making the Telekhine wince. After asking again they go an answer.

"I do not know." The Telekhine said as they all grumbled a little since they had hoped this could of gave them a good lead.

"However."

Everyone turned around to see the glazed over eyes of the Telekhine as the charm speak hit it at full effect.

"I heard about some kind of meeting that would take place in the National History Museum sometime this afternoon. That a son of Hermes was going to be there."

"Luke." Most of them said as Zoe looked at them.

"The traitor son of Hermes?" Zoe asked as they all nodded though she saw the downcast look Thalia had on her face when Luke's name was mentioned.

"Is that all the information you have?" Silena asked as the Telekhine nodded its head. She then took a dagger from her side and slit the Telekhines throat making it disappear into gold dust and making Luna finally close her jaw as golden dust melted away from her mouth.

"Now we have somewhere to go. If Luke is there then I knew in my gut he has something to do with this." Naruto said as everyone agreed.

"Since he is Kronos's right hand man so to speak, then he would not be here without good reason. If we can get to him maybe then perhaps we can find out where Artemis is."

"How far away is the museum?" Grover asked as Zoe tapped her chin.

"By van it should take us twenty minutes to get there."

"It's too long." Naruto said before he punched his fist into his palm. "I will go on ahead and leave a clone with you guys. Once you arrive at the museum, it will alert me when it dispels that you have all arrived. I think I know the way since I noticed signs for it all over the place."

Silena looked at him worryingly since she did not want to get split up from him but since time was of the essence then for now it had to be done.

'_Plus with his great speed he could probably be there within a couple of minutes. After all he did run across the New York Skyscrapers last Christmas to get to Rockefeller center.' _She thought.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's get going and back to the van. We can meet you there." Thalia said as she sheathed one of her dagger away and they began running out of the alleyway and back to the van.

Silena gave Naruto a quick kiss before she too joined them in running back to the van. They all looked back and watched as he applied chakra to his feet and ran up the side of the building and disappeared over the rooftops.

* * *

**Chapter Seven Completed**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW :)** 


	8. Chapter 8

**Beta'd by anime-death-angel.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**General**

Naruto ran on top of the rooftops as he ran towards the National History Museum as the giant, famous Washington building came into view with the Air and Space Museum that was near it. He was only taking a few steps as he ran across them before he used his chakra to improve how high and how far he jumped.

The others in his group were making their way to the museum via the van and would probably be there in about ten minutes. He felt a little sorry for the others since they had to go through ZoÃ«'s driving again. He felt he got off lucky this time.

He hoped that Zoe and Silena did not start trouble with one another since he was aware that Thalia and Zoe had agreed to put their antagonistic feelings for each other aside for this quest.

He knew full well that Silena had a temper that she must have inherited it from Aphrodite since she could be extremely frightening when she wanted to be. Feminine fury was not something Naruto nor any man wanted to go against.

As he got to the museum, the flapping of wings appeared in the air again making him halt and look around in the sky and around the nearby buildings.

After a moment of searching, he saw the figure again from last time though this time it was more visible then before and he could make it out.

He recognized the shape immediately; it was a black Pegasus with a five foot long wings on each side that that looked glossy from the morning sun.

However on the back he noticed a figure. He could not quite make them out since their head was hiding in the hair and neck of the Pegasus but Naruto could not help but feel angry when he saw it.

'_There is only one Pegasus that I remember being that color. Please tell me that idiot has not done it again.'_ He thought before he ran over to the entrance of the giant museum and landed on the steps leading up to the entrance.

On the entrance door there was a big sign saying CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT. Naruto raised an eyebrow at it but knew this had something to do with what the Telekhine had told him earlier. He ignored he sigh and threw it away before he walked forward and pushed the door open while breaking the lock.

Naruto stepped in and immediately looked around the giant entrance hall to the museum. A large replica of an African Elephant stood proudly to his left as he walked on the white and black tiled floor.

As he walked along the hallway of the museum the scent of the ocean hit him and he inwardly growled and he clenched his fist.

'_I am going to kill him, bring him back from the Underworld and then kill him all over again.'_ Naruto thought as he followed the scent.

He continued down the path and stopped momentarily when he saw a giant skeleton of a dinosaur making him whistle a little in amazement.

'_That is so cool. I wonder what they were like when they were alive.'_ He thought. They would also make one awesome summoning.

He walked forward and followed the scent but he stopped when he heard voices coming from behind him.

Pushing chakra into his feet, he jumped high in the air and stuck to the ceiling, hiding himself from view as the voices got louder.

He waited patiently for a moment before two slightly bigger than humans Cyclops walked past in some armor with large clubs in their hands. Both looked mean and nasty but they were no problem to Naruto.

Unsealing his bow he aimed at one of the Cyclops upside down before he fired and shot at one of them. It whizzed through the air and hit the Cyclops in the back of the neck.

The Cyclops gasped for air for a moment before it eventually fell down to the ground on its knees and disappeared in a burst of golden dust.

"WAAHHHH?!" The second Cyclops cried out as he looked around the room trying to look for the person who killed his companion and sent them to Tartarus. He looked up towards the ceiling but Naruto had already disappeared and left the spot. The Cyclops heard footsteps behind him and swung his club down on the ground.

The club hit the ground and hit nothing but air until it hit the ground causing small cracks to form from the power in the swing.

"Huh?" The Cyclops said in a dumb tone before he began to look around for the person he thought was there.

Instead he felt a sharp pain hit the back of his head that made his one large eye flicker before it rolled into the back of his head and then drop to the ground like his predecessor moments ago. Naruto stood there with a kunai out in his hand before he sighed and put the kunai away.

'_Since those Cyclops are here then it means I am definitely in the right place.'_ He thought before he decided to continue down the large hallway.

He walked for a few moments before he began sensing a couple of energy signatures up ahead. One he recognized and made him narrow his eyes, another felt like a monster and from the scent in the air smelt like one as well.

But there was another there as well and it stood out from the rest. It was large, extremely large. The only time he had felt a power like that was with Ares but this felt endless like their power did not seem to have some kind of stopping point.

It felt older as well and it smelt potent too. It made him shudder when he felt it because it meant whoever was in there was extremely powerful.

'_Whoever it is, I think they may have been involved in my mother's kidnaping. Their energy signature feels powerful and evil, exactly like what I felt in my dream the other day.'_

Following the scents and power signatures, it eventually led him to a large room that had a second balcony ringing around the room. Naruto hid behind a few chairs and lowered his power to the point where no one would be able to feel it.

Around at certain points of the balcony were about a dozen mortal bodyguards along with a couple of monsters all stationed around the entrances. He guesses that the two Cyclops he killed were the ones that were meant to guard the entrance that he arrived in.

Looking down into the center of the hall were three people. Two were standing while the third was sitting on a make shift throne, his face and most of his body being obscured from view but Naruto recognized him as the one who at the large, power signature and the one that he had to be careful around.

One of the people standing he recognized immediately. It was Luke Castellan, the traitorous son of Hermes and the one that pulled the wool over everyone's eyes back at camp.

Though when Naruto looked at him he frowned a little at the state he was in. He was pale, extremely pale and his hair had lost all of its shine that it had before. His eyes had dark rings around them indicating he had not been sleeping well. He had gotten thinner as well and his clothes actually look baggy on him.

'_What happened to him?'_ Naruto thought but then turned his attention towards the other standing person standing next to Luke.

She looked like a regular girl of African American descent and had dark curly hair that went past her shoulders and reminded him in a way of Medusa's hair with the way it curled and looked like snakes. She was wearing regular civilian clothes and had this sexy, sly look about her like she was not afraid to use her gifts as a woman to get what she wanted.

Despite her appearance, he could smell that she was a monster but what kind exactly he was unsure. _'She must be the kind that can alter her appearance, like the Furies.'_ He thought before he tried again to get a good look at the man sitting on the make shift throne.

All that he could make out was that he was wearing some kind of business like pants with black expensive shoes. From the hand that he could see he saw he had coppery colored skin that in a way reminded him of Zoe's skin tone.

The man on the throne coughed as he cleared his throat before his voice called out.

"Well, where are they?" He asked as his powerful voice rang out through the hall and made shivers go down Naruto's spine again.

As soon as Naruto heard it he narrowed his eyes at him. While it did not sound very malicious like Percy had described Kronos's voice, it was a voice that demanded respect and held a lot of power in it.

Though he glared at the hidden man because from those few words he knew almost immediately that this was the guy that was in the dream. He could tell this was the man that took his mother and was holding her prisoner somewhere.

He took a silent deep breath keeping his anger in check as his eyes flashed red for a moment before he managed to keep in control.

_'As much as I want to rip this guy apart, I will need to wait and see if he has any information that's worth having. Plus I can't make a mistake from someone of this power.'_

"They are here, General." Luke's voice said. Even his voice sounded weaker then what it was six months ago. Naruto could not help but wonder just what had he been doing to leave him so weakened and in such a state.

"I know that you fool. I want to know how many there are? I want to know my enemies before they arrive on my doorstep." The powerful man said as he leaned forward.

Naruto tried to get a glimpse of his face but again his face was obscured from view still. Though he did see that the man had dark hair.

As Naruto listened in a wave of memories hit him, indicating that the others just arrived and for some reason were over at the Air and Space Museum for reasons he would find out later.

**With the Others**

Zoe stopped the van as they pulled up just outside the Air and Space Museum. Silena, Thalia, Grover and Luna got out as Zoe and had a confused look in their faces. When they stepped out Naruto's clone popped and vanished, giving the original Naruto the information on their whereabouts.

"Why are we here?" Silena asked as she furrowed her brow at Zoe. "We are supposed to be at the Natural History Museum. This is the Air and Space Museum."

"I know but I think it is best if we go through the Air and Space first." She said getting confused looks.

"Naruto most likely went straight to Natural History Museum. I know for a fact that we can make our way through the Air and Space Museum to get to the other museum which is directly beside it."

"But why though?" Thalia asked since to her it did not make much sense.

"If the enemy is here there is a good chance that enemies may try and come this way. Plus by the looks of Luna I think she is picking up a scent." Zoe said as they looked towards Luna who had her snout to the ground and began walking towards the museum.

As the group walked forwards and entered the museum, they admired the man made machines and looked in wonder. Even Zoe let her man hating faced drop for a moment as she looked at mans creations.

"It is quite amazing at how far mankind has come in just a few centuries. I remember when carriages had only just been built and they were seen as the best mode of transportation. It does not feel that long ago since that time."

"Just how old are you exactly?" Thalia asked since she knew Zoe had been around a long time but she was not sure exactly how long.

"I have been in the service of Lady Artemis for over two thousand years and I am her oldest hunter she has. Once I joined the hunt I stopped caring about age and never kept track."

"So your petty old." Grover answered but paled when Zoe gave her a glare and hid behind Thalia who rode an eyebrow a Grover.

As they spoke, they heard multiple footsteps coming towards them and Luna began to growl as they got closer. They looked forward and saw multiple shadows coming off on the walls.

"See what did I tell you." Zoe said as she hid behind one of the front desks before taking her bow off her back and notched an arrow in it ready.

"Okay so you were right. But what about Naruto?" Silena asked as she did the same as Zoe and readied her bow.

"Trust him, we know he can handle himself more so then anyone else." Thalia said making them all nod as she readied her own weapons and for a short skirmish. Grover took cover with Luna and they both kept down, out of the way.

There was two monsters and two demi gods walking past them, each with weapons in their hands and were decked out in bronze armor with a few scales on them along with a symbol of Kronos that was on the back and on the front. They waited until they passed to spring into action.

"Now." Zoe muttered before she shot up and fired her arrow. The arrow whizzed through the air and went straight through the chest of the traitorous Cyclops who turned into gold dust.

The attack alerted the other enemies to their presence and they all turned around and glared in their direction.

However they did not get a chance to do anything because Silena had fired her own arrow and hit one of the demi gods right in the chest, penetrating through the armor and hitting the heart, killing him instantly.

Thalia then ran forward at great speed and with Aegis out slammed it into the head of the other Cyclops making it a little disorientated and stagger back a little.

She then threw her arm back and stabbed her spear into its throat making it gurgle a little before it collapsed and turn to dust.

The last demi god looked panicked and swung at Thalia but as intercepted by Silena who grabbed his wrist, snapped it making him cry out in pain before she flipped him over and slammed him into the ground.

She then grabbed her hunting knife and cut his throat and slammed the knife into his chest, killing him instantly again.

She took a deep breath as she muttered a small prayer under her breath before she swept a piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. When she turned around, she saw everyone was looking at her in surprise and in slight fear.

"What?" she asked wanting to know what they were staring at.

Thalia was the one who spoke up. "It's nothing, it's just that was soâ€¦."

"So cold. You took his life so quickly and you did not even flinch." Grover said a little wide eyed.

Silena just stood there silently and took in their words before she nodded.

"I had to be. When I was on Mount Myoboku I had to learn to take a life. With demi gods going to the enemies' side, what are you going to do when you come across them? Try and convince them to come back to our side or let them attack you."

"At the end of the day they made their choice and we will have to deal with them accordingly. We have to be merciless because that is exactly how they will be against us." She said as everyone just looked at her is slight amazement while Zoe nodded at her words, understanding just how right she was.

"She is correct. The enemy demi gods made their choices just like these two made theirs. Come, we should continue on." Zoe said as they all nodded and took one last look at the two dead demi gods before looking at Silena who had steeled her eyes and body as she sheathed her daggers away.

As they walked, Zoe looked at Silena with new respect. Perhaps she was wrong to judge her simple _because of who her parent was._

_'After all when it comes to being compared to ones parent, I know that better than anyone_.' She thought as they walked down the massive halls.

* * *

**Back With Naruto**

"I'm sorry my Lord. They are over in the National Air and Space museum but from what we understand there is one missing from the quest." Luke answered.

The man looked at Luke with narrowed eyes before he waved his right hand.

"Who is with them? Name the ones that are here you incompetent little fool." He bellowed making Luke take a step back. Naruto thought the very sound of the voice would be strong enough to knock Luke down.

"Yes my lord. There is satyr with them, Grove Underwood who I know from back at camp. He is useless for a satyr and his woodland magic is far lower than a normal satyr. He won't be a problem."

Naruto growled at the description Luke gave as the man motioned for him to continue.

"Another is a daughter of Aphrodite. Before I left the camp she was all but useless, her only skills being her Pegasus riding. However since then she has improved big time and has become one of their best warriors. She was the one who was responsible for killing Dr. Thorn back in Maine."

The man grunted. "A daughter of Aphrodite has become a great known warrior? Warriors in this world really have dropped in standards. The only talent they have is her mother's talents in spreading her legs and giving pleasure." He said as a throaty chuckle escaped his throat.

Luke nodded as if he was just trying to kiss up to the big man while Naruto looked ready to rip all of them into pieces while his eyes flashed red again and this time anyone who dared to describe his girlfriend in such a way then was going to get buried.

"Continue."

"There is a large Dire Wolf with them apparently. The size of a small horse with snow white fur and amber eyes."

"Hmm a Dire Wolf huh?" The man said as he rubbed his chin. "A Dire Wolf pelt would be a fine addition to have. It could make a good throw rug."

By now Naruto was taking deep breaths as he tried to keep his anger in check but it was not going so well.

"The other is a huntress with a silver circlet around her head." Luke said but Naruto heard the man growl.

"There is no need. That one I know too well. Make sure that she dies. I don't want that little traitor to live beyond this week."

Now Naruto's anger was replaced with curiosity. How does this guy no Zoe? Does Zoe know this guy? Did something happen between them to get this kind of antagonistic feelings towards her. Whatever Zoe did to this man, it made him want to see her dead at his feet.

"Of course my lord. The only other with them is the daughter of Zeus. She was recognized due to her dressing habits and her Aegis shield. It seems she truly was revived from the tree."

"Good, this is good." The man said as he looked down towards Luke. "Now my boy, the first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."

"So she is the key to potentially bring down Olympus?" Luke asked while the woman beside him looked at the powerful man in a flirty manor as if trying to get his attention.

"She is. She is most likely the one of the prophecy and therefore bringing her to our side will be the best way to ensure our victory."

'_The prophecy. Just what is this prophecy?'_ Naruto though since other then the gods who obviously knew it, Chiron and Annabeth were also aware of it.

"Out of curiosity who is the person that is missing from the group." He asked with his voice full of authority.

Luke winced a little. "The other is the shinobi demi god; he is the son of Artemis who we discovered is the one who is leading the quest. He is strong my lord, he could be a threat to your plans." Luke said as the man leaning back into his throne while his fingers tapped on the throne.

"Are the rumors I heard about him true?"

Luke nodded. "He is my lord. During the first summer he arrived, he along with the son of Poseidon Percy Jackson managed to defeat the God of War Ares while last summer he managed to defeat the Kraken. He is a danger my lord."

The big man said nothing and tapped the throne arm.

"He could potentially be a threat, I see that. With those damn shinobi powers of his it makes him unpredictable. With him here it makes things difficult plus being the son of that woman, it gives him even more a reason to fight us and it gives him more of a purpose then the huntress."

"I will come up with a way to get rid of him but if that fails then I will get rid of him myself."

"What of the huntress Zoe-"

"Do not speak her name." He hissed out.

Luke swallowed and recoiled a little bit in fear. "S-sorry, General. I just â€""

The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you my boy how we will bring the Hunters down. The Hunters are not as strong as they make themselves out to be. If we can take Artemis with little hassle then it means they will not be a problem. The lieutenant may try to save her but ultimately she will fail. "

Now Naruto's thoughts were confirmed. _'This is the man who took mom. That means this guy has to be a Titan of some kind. It's the only explanation.'_

The powerful man stared down towards he woman who was now looking at Luke with a flirty look. "Do you have the teeth?"

The woman looked up at him and gave him a flirty yet fanged look. Looking closer at the woman Naruto saw her teeth looked like fangs.

"I do General, they are right here." She said as she patted her back pocket on her left cheek while leaning forward a little, trying to show some of her cleavage to the all powerful man.

"Plant them." He said not even bothering with her attempts in trying to seduce him.

The woman huffed in annoyance before she turned around and began walking towards a big circle of dirt. It had large footprints in the dirt indicting that it was a previously an exhibit for some kind of large skeleton.

As Naruto leaned in from the side he now began to notice that the scent of the ocean was hitting his nose and looked over around to see where it was originating.

Looking over he noticed that down on the ground floor close to the circle of soil was a ripple in the air that he recognized as Annabeth's invisibility hat.

'_He is in so much trouble.'_ He thought as Naruto gritted his teeth and silent began making his way over while still watching what the woman was doing. She took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. She smoothed them over while the General leaned forward a little.

"Ready General." She said as she picked up a small watering can that was next to the circle of soil.

"Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."

The dark skinned woman nodded and began pouring a dark red liquid substance over the buried teeth.

The effect was instant as the soil erupted shooting soil everywhere as well as making the invisible demi god take a couple of steps back.

Naruto watched with baited breath to see what was coming out of the ground until a single sound came out and sounded out through the silent hall.

"Mew?"

Naruto had to stop for a moment as he looked towards the dirt and did his best to not start laughing when he saw a couple of little kitten colored like a tiger with stripes down their backs push out of the ground and begin rolling around in the dirt while playing with each other.

Everyone in the room stared in disbelief while the General was practically shaking in his throne with rage and anger.

The General roared. "What is this? Cute cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?"

The woman shook in her spot while trying to keep eye contact with the General. "Iâ€¦I got them from him." she said pointing towards a guard stationed near the Generals throne.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE TEETH?" He roared as the guard shaking walked towards him and bowed. His voice was shaky as he spoke.

"From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said. The saber-tooted tiger â€"" He started before the General brought his fist down on the edge of the arm on his throne. The slam rang out through the hall.

"No, you idiot! I said the tyrannosaurus! Gather up those â€¦ those infernal fuzzy little beasts and take them outside." He said towards the woman who nodded her head furiously before she and another couple of guards grabbed the kittens and took them away.

"You however." He said glaring at the guard at his feet before the General threw his hand forward and a beam of energy engulfed the poor guard. There as not even a scream as the beam faded away and showed that nothing remained of the guard. No bones or dust.

Naruto could not believe how this man treated his own subordinates. It kind of reminded him of Orochimaru and saw them as nothing more than cannon fodder. They were expendable.

"I will do this myself. You there get me the right teeth now." He commanded as another guard scampered off to get them.

"Imbeciles." Muttered the General.

"This is why I don't use mortals." Luke said. "They are too unreliable."

"They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent." The General said. "I love them."

Naruto took this moment as the General and Luke were distracted to silently and stealthily move down to the bottom of the hall and head towards the invisible demi gods who's said he was definitely going to be kicking ass soon as this was over.

He neared two monsters that were guarding an entrance and he quickly took out two bronze kunai's.

While the two monsters were distracted, he attacked them with great speed and with much grace and stealth. He slit their throats and quietly grabbed them and brought them down to the ground to stop any noise from being made from them dropping their weapons on the floor.

From the balcony, he then jumped on a large pillar and with chakra in his feet, he landed on the side of it and began walking down it, not making a sound as he did so.

The invisible person was by the large pillar and was backing away when they suddenly got tugged on their collar and brought back. They were about to yelp in surprise but Naruto's hand shot forward and covered their mouth to stop the sound from alerting the enemy that they were there.

When said person turned around, they were met by the annoyed and angry blue and silver eyes of Naruto Uzumaki who with his hand told him not to say a word.

"When we are out of here, you are in huge trouble Percy Jackson. I swear I will kick your ass so bad that even water won't be able to heal you." He said and if he could have seen him, he would have seen a pair of eyes widen in fear.

They both hid behind the giant pillar and Naruto was about to try and lead them out of the room but the solider came back inside with what the General wanted.

"Excellent." The General said as he took the sharp looking teeth into his hand and looked them over before he got off his throne and walked across the floor.

"Dinosaur teeth-ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself!"

As he walked, the marble beneath his feet cracked and shook, once again showing the strength and power that poured off him.

He then planted all twelve teeth into the ground and covered the soil over them and patted them down. Then he scooped up the watering can. He sprinkled the soil with red liquid, tossed the can away and held his arms out wide. "Rise!"

The dirt trembled. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping the air.

The General over towards Luke. "Quickly, do you have the scent?"

"Yes my lord." He said as he took out a sash of silvery fabric just like the kind the Hunters wore. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw it.

'_How did they get that?'_ Naruto thought_. 'Surely we would know if an enemy had got into camp, especially from the hunters.'_

"Excellent." The General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shred. Toss it here!"

Luke did so and Naruto's eyes widened. '_I can't let this happen.'_ He thought.

He was about whisper into Percy's ear but his grip on Percy had slacked while he listened to the conversation and Percy ran out of his grasp and straight towards the group.

The skeletons had fully erupted from the ground now and stood high as their forms began to change. They were growing flesh as they stood there and began taking the form of men. They had with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes â€" gray muscle shirts, cameo pants, and combat boots.

Their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath and if they had any organs then Naruto was sure he would be able to see those to.

Percy ran across the room and as the General was about to give the scarf to the warriors, Percy grabbed the scarf before he quickly turned and began running.

"What's this?" Bellowed the General. "An intruder, one cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"

The demi god guards nodded and went to shut the door but were halted when Naruto appeared and kicked them both away and into the walls where they both collapsed unconscious.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Luke bellowed as he drew his sword Backbiter from his side.

"Castellan." Naruto snarled before he turned to Percy who was making his way towards him but the Sybaris were heading right towards him .

As Percy ran, Annabeth's New York Yankees hat fell of his head though he managed to grab it in his hand. However, when he did one of the skeleton warriors had grabbed Percy's right arm and ripped part of his sleeve off.

They both then watched as that skeleton held it up to his nose and familiarized itself with Percy's scent, which made Percy now visible face go pale.

Then they all looked towards Percy and were all about to head towards him but Naruto appeared in front of him and did a series of hand signs before he took a deep breath.

**"FIRE STYLE: BURNING ASH!**" Naruto shouted as large clouds of ash shot out of his mouth and went towards the skeleton warriors and engulfed them in searing hot ash.

The skeleton warriors took the damage though no sounds of pain came out of them despite the ash was bringing their newly created skin and burn marks began to cover them. Many of them took third degree burns and the bones were even showing from a couple of them, being blackened from the ash yet they showed no amount of pain.

Naruto watched as Percy pocketed the scarf and engaged Luke in a sword fight and at the moment he guessed they were about equal. He guessed that with Luke's current physical look the blonde boy had lost a lot of his strength while Percy had improved some in the last six months though he was still being reckless and tended to let his own reasoning led him to doing things that got him into trouble.

He was about to intervene but he saw a large axe headed towards him. He pushed chakra into ones of his seals and summoned the KubikiribÅ chÅ and blocked the strike.

However when the strike hit the force behind the strike caught Naruto off guard and he felt pain go up his arms and his knees buckled a little but managed to stay up right.

He looked up to see two powerful brown eyes looking directly at him while trying to push him away which he was succeeding at as Naruto was slowly but surely being pushed back from the enemy.

"You're the General?" He asked as he tried to get a good look at the man but the General now covered himself in shadows, keeping his form and appearance in secret. "You're the one that took my mom. Where is she?"

The man chucked and he took a step back before he swung again at Naruto who blocked it once more with the KubikiribÅ chÅ .

"Why should I ruin the fun? I want to watch you go on your periless quest and then watch you fail at the final hurdle." He said as he tried to press Naruto with his weapons while Naruto tried to block it as best as he could but was gritting his teeth.

'_This guy is so strong. I'm not sure I am going to be able to hold out against him in my normal state.' _Naruto thought.

"Why take her? Are you really just another one Kronos's lapdogs doing what he commands you to do?" Naruto said and watched as rage built up and the force behind his weapon increased.

"The little Moon Goddess was nothing more than the first that will fall to the Titans. The rest will fall just like all your little companions will fall right with you on this quest." He said as Naruto tried to hold his own.

"I'm going to kick your ass big time but until then let me leave you with a little gift." Naruto said as he managed to push him away and knew that right now was not the best time to start a battle since he could hear enemy footsteps approaching them.

Naruto then ducked a swipe before he charged a rasengan and shoved it into the Generals chest.

The General skidded back a little and slammed into his throne but other than that he managed to remain standing and waved away the small scorch marks caused by the rasengan and chuckled.

"You will have to do better than that." He goaded.

Naruto ran over to Percy and kicked Luke away making him skid against the floor before grabbing Percy's arm.

"We're leaving now." He said not waiting for Percy to give him an answer before together they ran out of the large room while the General set the skeleton warriors hot on their tail while the General's laugh could be heard echoing through the museum.

* * *

**Chapter Eight Completed**

**I know some of you won't like that Percy is here but do not worry he will only be in the next few chapter before he get sent straight back to camp.**

**Also I was thinking about the next two books for this story. Labyrinth is the book that I know least about even though I have read it and Last Olympian for a good half of the book is just fighting. So I am thinking about instead of doing two separate stories and instead joining them into one. I will let you know at a later date what I decide.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW :)** 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Naruto and Percy ran as fast as they could down the halls of the museum with Naruto having an iron grip on Percy's sleeve to stop the son of Poseidon from disappearing on him and to make sure he did not fall too far behind.

"You are in some serious, serious trouble Jackson." Naruto called giving Percy a glare as they continued to run.

Percy recoiled a little and tried to look away but Naruto's glare was so frightening that he could not look away.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" Naruto asked as he checked behind him and saw the skeleton warriors some ways behind them but hot on their trail.

Since they had Percy's sleeve they would be able to find them and as angry as he was at Percy, he could not leave him behind to let him get torn to pieces.

"I umâ€¦." Percy started saying but stopped speaking when a lump got stuck in his throat. What was he suppose to say that could get him out of this situation.

"You are such a stupid seaweed brain Percy. Once we find the others, I can promise you that there will be some hell to pay. Thalia and Zoe are going to be pissed and I cannot blame them. You have just put this quest in jeopardy by being here."

Percy went a little pale at the mention of ZoÃ« since she would probably castrate him when she found out he had snuck onto this quest.

As they ran, the skeleton warriors were getting closer and closer towards them with their weapons varying form swords, spears, axes, shield etc, and were picking up the pace.

Naruto stopped and skidded along the hallway floors and looked around for something that could barricade the hallway.

He looked for a few moments before went over to a large statue replicas of African animals.

'_This will have to do.'_ He thought as he used his enhanced strength to pick the statues up 'which was also thanks to his weight training' and threw them all into a big pile in the middle of the hallway, effectively making a large barricade and for the time being halting the advance of the skeleton warriors.

'_Let's make it a little more difficult.'_ He thought as he made some hand signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" He called as the giant fireball engulfed the statues and causing a now fiery barricade to keep between them and the skeleton warriors.

Though he wanted to fight them and find a way to get rid of them quickly, he needed to find the others and warn them that the General was in the building. If not then they might not have been aware of the amount of enemies in the vicinity, even if they had Luna to warn them early enough.

"Come on lets go." Naruto said waking Percy out of his daze as he watched the fire burn.

Clangs and metal hitting objects could be clearly heard indicating the skeleton warriors were already trying to get past the make shift barricade.

After a few minutes, Naruto and Percy ran and tore across the path as they ran through a mall beside the museum that would help lead to the Air and Space Museum. They ignored the few looks that people were giving them as they ran past and just focused on their objective.

They saw the big doors of the Air and Space Museum and they both practically burst through the doors as began running the new halls of the new museum.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to sense them out, trying to pick up their signatures and he did manage to find them on one of the top floors. However if he focuses enough he could also sense the skeleton creatures and could feel that they had already got past the barricade he made.

'_We need to hurry.'_ He thought. _'It won't be long until they arrive.'_

"Percy they're on the top floor." He called out to the other demi god who just nodded back in response before they found a stair way and began climbing it, to one of the top levels.

They opened the door to the floor they wanted and ran the halls before Naruto saw Thalia walk out in front of them.

Though Percy obviously did not see her in time and they ended up colliding into one another.

"Ooof, hey what's the big idea?" Thalia said as she sat up and rubbed her shoulder before she noticed who ran into her. "PERCY!"

"He he hey Thals." He said rubbing his shoulder a little nervously as well just as the others all arrived after hearing Percy and Thalia collide into one another.

When they arrived Silena went straight towards Naruto and check him over, making sure he was okay. Zoe though noticed Percy got a murderous look appear on her face.

"YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE BOY?" She practically shouted as she took her bow of from her back and notched an arrow into it.

Percy stood a little shakily before Thalia grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall, looking every bit as angry as Zoe was currently looking, her blue eyes looking like they were going to start sparking with electricity at any moment and fry Percy all the way back to camp.

Grover went to Percy's side but he had more of a confused look on his face while Silena just stared at Percy, not really showing any emotion.

"Speak up boy, why are you here?" Zoe demanded looking ready to let the string go at any moment.

"I didn't mean toâ€¦..well actually I did but you don't understand I think I need to be on this quest."

"Elaborate Percy." Naruto asked in a deep and commanding tone, wanting Percy to know that he was not going to baby him in this situation. The matter was very serious indeed.

Percy gulped a little before he began talking again. "I was talking to my mom and I told her all about the quest. I saidâ€¦."

He stopped talking when Thalia flicked him on the forehead and looked at him scoldingly.

"Percy you don't tell mortals about a quest." Thalia said looking at him angrily. "Do you know that by talking to your mom about this, you might have put her in harm's way?"

"I knowâ€¦..but you see I had to talk to her about this. I felt I needed to go on this quest and she told me that if I thought I needed to be on it then I should go and help. My mom has never been wrong about this stuff so I began following you all when you left the camp."

"We don't need your help." Zoe said gritting her teeth.

Grover looked at Percy before his gaze travelled down towards his hand where he spotted Annabeth's hat. He gasped and took from him.

"Percy, why do you have this? Did Annabeth actually let you use her invisibility hat?" He asked since it was strange that she did. Annabeth never let anyone use her invisible hat since it was one of the few things she was given by her mother Athena.

Percy winced a little and looked at them a little nervously. "Not exactly." He said making Thalia now gasp and glare at him as she tightened her grip on his collar.

"You took her invisible hat. What were you thinking? Do you know how precious that is to her?" She said making Zoe growl a little.

"Just like any other boy." She muttered glaring at Percy.

Percy meanwhile shook a little, feeling extremely nervous under the glares of these two powerful girls while Grover looked at him very disappointed while Silena and Naruto just shook their heads.

"You really need to think before you act." Silena said making everyone nod as Luna stood by nudging her head as if she was a little irritated.

"Lukes here." He said trying to get their focus off him since it was making him very uncomfortable at the way they looked at him.

As soon as he spoke, Thalia's grip slacked on his collar a little as the anger in her eyes melted and her other hand moved up to touch her sliver bracelet.

"Heâ€¦he's here? Are you sure?" She asked in a tone that was barely above a whisper. She turned to look at Naruto who nodded his head.

"Yeah he is here. He was in the National History Museum with a number of subordinates as well as the General." He said making everyone tense and Zoe go pale at his words.

"T-The General? H-H is here. He can't be, that's impossible." she said. Everyone noticed how scared she looked and the color had drained at of her copper skin, her hands shook a little at her sides.

"He is here." Percy said. "I saw him with my own eyes, so did Naruto."

"You are lying." She said. "It must have just been some illusion or some kind of Iris Message." She said really trying to deny the fact that the General was nearby.

"Zoe I fought the man just a few minutes ago. He was very real and he is here. The marble floor cracked when he was walking and I felt his energy. It was monstrous."

Everyone turned to Naruto as Zoe looked at him in shock. "You fought him and you are still alive?"

"It was more of a brief tussle but yes I fought him. His power was insane. Every hit was like a steam train rolling into me and he pushed me away with pure strength."

"And you are okay. You're not hurt?" Silena asked checking to make sure he did have any wounds under his clothes that she might have missed.

"I'm fine. I managed to blast him away with a Rasengan but it barely scratched him. He just laughed it off."

The ones that had seen his rasengan took deep breaths. For someone to just shrug off a rasengan, it meant that their power must have just been on insane levels. Especially if Naruto had second thoughts about fighting the guy and Zoe looked scared.

"But we can't stay put like this. We have to get moving." Naruto said as he grabbed Silena's hand and began leading them away. Thalia let Percy go and everyone began running.

"Why are we running?"

"The General had dragon's teeth and they made twelve skeleton warriors that grew this grayish colored skin. He sent them after us and they are following as we speak. I made a barricade but I know they already managed to get past it.

Before anyone could speak, the doors to the stairwell slammed open and were destroyed as the skeleton warriors walked out and began looking all over for them.

"I take it that's them." Grover said, his hoof clopping as they ran with Luna by his side.

"Yeah that's them.

"Why are we bringing that stupid boy with us?" Zoe asked as her long braid flew in the air as she ran. "He is not part of this quest."

"I know but we can't leave him, even if we are super pissed at him." Naruto said giving Percy a glare and Percy to lower his shoulders, seeing how he may have messed up big time.

"Why not? It's not like he will be missed."

Silena scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

"Well seeing who your mother is, it's no surprise you never had any wisdom when it came to boys." Zoe growled.

Silena growled and she looked ready to hit Zoe as her fist clenched. Naruto was about to get in the middle of them and stop them from exchanging blows when everyone stopped and shuddered when a loud growl roared out. It was so loud everyone thought it was one of the engines turning on.

"That roar?" Naruto said. "That roar sounds familiar which is probably not a good thing."

Another roar ripped through the air and everyone turned around to see that from the stairwell where the skeletons had run out from, a large figure was being overshadowed but its large brown eyes were shining.

Slowly its head began to pear out of the doorway and from the light, it revealing a large feline head with a large golden shaggy main and teeth the size of someone's fingers.

"Oh shit!" Naruto said going a little wide eyed since he was not expecting to see this particular giant monster on this quest.

"The Nemean Lion." Grover squeaked. "It finally found us."

"Think it remembers us?" Percy asked just as the Lion let out another loud roar that shook them on the spot.

"Yeah I think it remembers us." Naruto deadpanned, remembering what a pain in the ass the monster was last time.

When he finished speaking, the Nemean Lion roared once more as if making sure they all knew it was there before it tensed its shoulders, pounced out of the stairwell, and ran forward at great speed.

Everyone got their weapons ready. Zoe and Silena readied their bows, Percy uncapped riptide, Grover got his reed pipes out while Naruto got his hunting knives ready.

The Lion bounded towards them with its silver claws glittering from the lights and its golden fur was shining like the sun was hitting them.

As it ran, it knocked the skeletons that were in its way to the side, making them all stumble and fall to the ground momentarily before they got back up.

"You guys take the skeletons, I'll take the over grown pussy cat." Naruto said seriously as everyone looked at him as if he was joking.

"Naruto this is the Nemean Lion. You can't take it down on your own." Grover said worryingly wanting him to reconsider but Naruto looked resolute as he closed his eyes.

The others looked at him as if wanting him to change his mind but Silena glared at them.

"Believe in him. He can do it. The Nemean Lion will not beat him. That I can guarantee."

The Nemean Lion ran directly towards them. As it got closer, everyone ducked and rolled out of the way to the side but they saw Naruto just stand there still with his eyes closed.

"Naruto jump out of the way now." Thalia called out but ONLY Silena saw him tense his shoulders and his legs.

As the Nemean Lion got closer, it leapt and opened its jaw as wide as possible, which a person could probably crawl through.

As it got closer Percy and Grover closed their eyes while Thalia and Zoe jumped up onto their feet and tried to run towards Naruto and push him out of the way, though they knew they would get there in time.

The Nemean Lion closed in and just as its jaw was about to latch onto Naruto's shoulder, Naruto's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the Lions throat and then with lightning like speed grabbed the Lions stomach and threw it across the room, slamming it into a small concession stand by the wall.

Naruto stood there, standing tall and proud as the Nemean Lion rolled around on the floor before it got back on its feet and roared at Naruto, making sure its teeth could be clearly seen.

Meanwhile Zoe, Thalia, Percy and Grover all had their jaws firmly on the ground and eyes the size of dinner plates as their brains were trying to process what they just saw.

Did they really just see Naruto pick up the Nemean Lion and throw it across the room?

"H-How? That should not have been even possible." Grover asked stuttering a little looking back and forth between Naruto and the Lion.

"I told you he could take care of it. He is about to show you how profitable his training with the toads was." Silena spoke up. "He has not just been sitting around for the last six months. Naruto is on a whole other level compared to what he was like during the summer."

"Yeah but what kind of training? Last I check he did not have super strength." Thalia asked her voice wavering a little. She could not help but look at Naruto in slight awe at how easily he just threw the Nemean Lion aside. A creature that gave Heracles trouble and yet he did it so easily. She knew it was wrong but she felt a little jealous of his power and even a little envious of Silena at having such a strong boyfriend as a tinge of pink appeared on her cheek at his calm and powerful form.

'_There has to be more to this.'_ Zoe thought as she looked Naruto over and immediately she noticed his eyes. Around his eyes was what looked like orange eyeliner though it looked like it was his actual skin that became that color, but it was his eyes that made her lean back and look surprised.

His eyes were yellow and his pupils were shaped like horizontal bars. _'Just like a toads.'_ She thought.

"What is that?" Thalia asked as they noticed the Nemean Lion getting back up. It ran towards them but before it could get closer, Naruto appeared beside it, grabbed its back legs and then threw it into the skeleton warriors that were still running towards them.

When it slammed into them, it knocked them all down like a bowling ball knocking down bowling pins.

Everyone else began to notice the marking around his eyes as well as his new strange eyes before Silena's voice called out.

"He has entered Sage Mode."

"Sage Mode?" Percy asked. "What exactly is that? He mentioned it before he left for Mount Myoboku but I never understood what it was exactly."

Silena was about to continue but saw the lion getting back up and the warriors along with it. "I will explain later. For now we have to deal with them." She said as she got her weapons ready again.

Zoe continued to stare at Naruto before she narrowed her eyes at him. _'Was he even fighting me seriously back at the camp?'_ She thought but she would save it and find that out for later.

"Here kitty, kitty." Naruto said waving his hand in front of the Nemean Lion. "You remember me or do you want me to shove another one of these in your face." He said as he powered a rasengan in his hand and waved it tauntingly at it.

The Nemean Lion meanwhile narrowed its eyes as if remembering what happened last time and let out a roar even louder than the last time that made Grove cover his sensitive ears. Luna growled at the Nemean Lion but Naruto looked back at her.

"No Luna, you help Silena and the others." He said giving her a knowing look.

Luna looked at him with her amber eyes and gave a little huff. _"Fine but don't get hurt or I will bite you on your butt." _she said in a childish voice.

Naruto laughed before nodding at her. He motioned for the Lion to come at him and in response the Nemean Lion lunged forward and raced towards him.

Naruto jumped back, ran towards one of the conjoining hallways, running out with the Nemean Lion running right past the other demi gods and focused solely on Naruto.

"I'll be back when I can. Kick some ass." He said to everyone who nodded before they readied themselves for the skeletal warriors. Naruto then ran down the hall with the Nemean Lion chasing him, wanting to rip and shred him to pieces.

* * *

**With Naruto**

Naruto ran down the halls as he kept his eyes behind him and saw the Nemean Lion running straight towards him, teeth and claws gleaming at him as if trying to say that his blood was going to be covering those claws eventually.

'_I have to think this through carefully.'_ Naruto thought. _'Annabeth said its fur was indestructible so I am going to have to look for a different way to kill it. I could try and strangle it like Heracles though I think it will have learnt by then.'_

The Nemean Lion did not strike him as the kind of monster that fell for the same thing twice.

"Come on your overgrown fur ball, come and catch me or are you too fat to actually get me?" He shouted as the monster roared at him. The hallway eventually ended and Naruto found himself running into a large hanger with multiple planes decorating the warehouse, some varying from single one person planes to large twenty plus airplanes that were amazingly being held in the air by metal cables.

The Nemean Lion gained on Naruto and was about to jump him when Naruto duck and rolled out of the way.

As he rolled, Naruto fired three arrows at its face, which broke as soon as they hit it making the lion take a step back and shake its head.

**"Wind Style: Wind Bullet jutsu!"** He said as he fired multiple projectiles of compressed wind through the air and smacked into the Nemean Lions face.

It roared again as it took a few steps back but again the attack made no visible damage, further proving how strong its golden fur was.

'_I can't use many jutsu's in this place. I can't go too far away from the others. Fire jutsu's are defiantly out while wind jutsu's will be pretty limited.'_ He thought as he did not want to be responsible for destroying so many of the museum's collections of planes.

Naruto's thought were interrupted when the Nemean Lion jumped close to him and tried to swipe him with its large paw with its long silver claws extended as far as they would go, ready to take a chunk out of Naruto.

"Oh no you don't." He said when he broke it with his hunting knives and used his newfound strength to push the lion away, making it roll onto its back.

It quickly got out of the roll and went back to swiping at Naruto.

Naruto though saw each swipe coming towards him and was dodging them gracefully, the paws only hitting air.

The Lion then tried to snap at Naruto with its large jaws but as when they got close to Naruto's face, Naruto's hand shot up and stopped its mouth right where it was. His face thought was right by its mouth and he was getting a clean look at its insides as well as the smell of its breath.

He coughed. "Man your breath stinks. Whoever has been feeding you really needs to brush your teeth more often." He said as Naruto was about to push it away but noticed the inside of its mouth. Its inside was red and fleshy just like any other ordinary creature or monster.

'_Its insides are normal like any other creature. That means only its fur is actually indestructible. I might be able to use this to my advantage.'_

With a surge of strength, he pushed the Lion back and stood his ground.

As the Lion was pushed back, it knocked into a plane and pushed the plane towards a wall and quickly destroyed one of its wings. Naruto winced when he saw the destruction, mentally thinking that he might need to leave a check for the museum to cover the damages.

"Let's try this again." Naruto said before he began walking around in a circle with the Nemean Lion doing the same thing, as if they were both sizing one another up.

The Nemean Lion growled and snapped its jaw at him while Naruto looked to the side and saw some metal chains that were being used to stop trespassers from stepping over and touching the planes and models.

'_That might come in handy.'_ He thought.

As his eyes flickered to the side, the Nemean Lion took this moment to leap forward and attack him.

Naruto however saw it coming, ducked the leap and with his new strength ripped the chains off the metal polls and then did the unthinkable by jumping onto the Nemean Lions back.

The Nemean Lion immediately felt Naruto get on its back and tried to buck him like a horse would normally do to a rider. It roared as it tried to shake him off but Naruto clung tight to it. He had survived an enormous toad trying to shake him off, he would be able to deal with this overgrown tabby Cat as it had its temper tantrum.

Naruto had one hand gripping tightly to the golden fur of the truck sized Lion and with his other hands he had the metal chains. His face was buried it in fur at first as he got use to the Nemean Lion throwing him all over the place

"Let's see if this works." He said to himself before he began swinging the chains around before he threw them forward and wrapped them around the neck of the Nemean Lion before grabbing it when the end he threw circled back round to him.

When he grabbed it, he took a deep breath before he pulled on the chain with great strength and began choking the Nemean Lion.

In response, the Lions actions became wilder and more unpredictable as it began trying everything to get Naruto to stop or his grip to lessen. It rolled across the floor multiple times but Naruto still hung on and pulled on the chains.

'_I don't know how long it took Heracles but it better go down soon.'_ He thought before he got the wind slightly knocked out of him.

The Lion was beside one of the larger planes and began slamming into the side of the plane, with Naruto taking the brunt of the force. On the side of the plane, the metal began to bend inwards and huge dents formed in them.

After a large slam into the side, Naruto's grip on the chain broke and it began to fall out of his grasp.

Making a quick hand sign he made a shadow clone appear directly beside him and it quickly grabbed the chain and threw it back into his hand before the Nemean Lion swiped the clone with its large paw and made it burst away.

Naruto was about to pull on the chain but stopped when he saw the chain was in the Nemean Lion mouth. The great Lion turned to look at him, it big eyes staring right into his before it crunched down onto the chains and easily broke them as if they were twigs.

"Oh shit, this can't be good." Naruto muttered.

Naruto jumped off its back just as it went too swipe him and landed on the side of the wall and stuck to it with his chakra.

"Come on kitty, kitty." He said motioning for the Lion to come and get him.

The Nemean Lion roared and jumped on top of the planes and began running and jumping towards Naruto.

When it got close, it jumped off of the closest one and made a large jump towards him with all its fangs and claws showing. Any other person and they most likely would have crapped their pants.

Naruto though eyed it curiously before using chakra to push himself off the wall and drop kicked the beast right in the face and rocked it back down to the ground where it made a large hole in the floor.

Naruto flipped through the air and landed on the other side of the Lion.

"Let's try and end this quickly now." He said before he stuck his hand above his head. _'Plus I really need to get back to the others and make sure they are okay.'_

Above is head blue chakra began to swirl and form into a rasengan, though it got bigger and bigger until the rasengan was the size of Naruto.

"Here kitty, kitty." He said before he charged forward and slammed the Giant rasengan into the Nemean Lion and forced it through one of the walls as Naruto continued to push the beast back into the room they were previously in.

* * *

**With The Demi-Gods**

"Get up high." Zoe commanded as the skeleton warriors marched forward towards them with their weapons drawn out

They ran together and began climbing up one of the Apollo capsules while Silena sent Luna off to hide in one of the large plane cockpits. Since they were focusing on the demi gods, they made no mind to Luna much to Silena's relief.

When they got to the top, Silena and Zoe began firing arrows towards the skeleton warriors, doing their best to drive them away and if possible destroy them. However despite the arrows hitting them, they were not doing any good in stopping them and they just continue to walk as if the arrows were not hitting them.

"How do we stop them?" Thalia asked as she had her Shield and Spear ready, hoping Aegis would have some effect on the skeleton warriors and put fear in them.

The warriors got on the Apollo capsule and began scaling it as the demi god got ready to defend.

Slowly the skeleton warriors got on the Apollo capsule and began swing their weapons at the demi gods who tried to defend themselves.

Zoe got out her hunting knives and Silena took out her twin daggers and began laying waste to the skeletons while Percy and Thalia fought back to back, covering each other's blind spots.

Percy parried a slash from one of the skeletons and pushed it away with his sword while behind him Thalia blocked a strike with Aegis before she drove her spear through her opponent's chest.

When she saw it had no affect on it, she pulled the spear out and used her shield to pummels its head in.

Behind them Grover was playing flute music and was creating weeds to appear on the ground and tangle the skeletons legs up, making it harder for them to move around.

With Silena she blocked a strike with her daggers and kicked it in the chest, knocking it off the capsule and on the ground where it stayed for a couple of second before it got up and began climbing again.

Beside her Zoe pushed one away making it fall of as well and then used her hunting knife to cut one of the warriors arm off as it climbed up the side. As they fought, the loud roar of the Nemean Lion sounded out from the other room halting the fighting for just a moment before they quickly continued.

"Do you think he is okay?" Thalia asked ducking a slash while Percy punched the skeleton away.

"He'll be fine. Knowing Naruto he will be more concerned with how we are fairing." Silena said before delivering a high kick to a skeleton and knocked its head clean off its body yet its body kept on fighting.

The skeletons continued to head towards them, not slowing down and letting nothing get in their way. Luna peaked her head out of one of the windows in the plane she was hiding in but Silena gave the large wolf a look as if sayings don't you dare come out yet.

"They just keep coming." Percy called dodging a strike though was bleeding a little on his arm from when the tip of a sword managed to hit him. Thalia was on one knee as her other had a gash in it from a strike that she did not block in time with Aegis. Grover at the back was doing his best but the weeds he was making were not providing much use.

Zoe frowned as she kicked another skeleton warrior off the capsule and realized things were just not going anywhere and that they were beginning to tire. She looked around and saw a giant model plane hanging in the air a couple of meters away.

'_Get them under that and we can get them pinned down for awhile.' _She thought before in the corner of her eye a sword was coming directly at her. A skeleton warrior tried to kill her while she was distracted.

She went for her hunting knives to try and block it but an arrow embedded itself in its skull making it take a few steps back. She turned around to Silena with her bow drawn, having just saved Zoe's life. She just nodded at the huntress and continued fighting.

Zoe shook herself out of her surprise. "Force them under that plane. I have an idea." She said as everyone looked at her but did not argue.

Thalia and Percy with their shields knocked the skeletons off the capsule while Zoe and Silena kicked them all off, making them fall in a large heap.

"Distract them." Zoe said as she jumped off the capsule and jumped onto a class cabinet with her bow drawn.

The other demi gods frowned at them being the bait but they sucked it up for now since this was not the time to argue.

"Come get us you pile of bones." Percy taunted while Thalia made funny silly faces at them.

The skeleton warriors got back up, slowly began marching towards them, and quickly started running now. The four walked backwards before they walked into a wall and saw nowhere else to go.

"Any time now Zoe." Thalia called get her weapons ready again as did everyone else.

Zoe placed an arrow in her bowstring and aimed at the metal wiring that kept the plane in the air while watching the skeletons march towards her companions.

The skeleton were about ten meters away now and had their weapons pointing towards the group while Grover whimpered a little, wondering how they were going to get out of this.

"ZOE!" Thalia shouted just as Zoe saw the skeletons were underneath the plane. She released the arrow and everyone watched as the silver arrow soared through the air and cut the wire that was holding the plane up.

An audible snap could be heard in the room as the plane began falling towards the ground and landed directly on top of the skeletons, pinning them down on the ground and keeping them stuck right where they were.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and were about to collapse to the ground to take a moments rest but loud bangs were heard from the side of them and it was getting louder and louder every moment.

After a moment of silence, one of the walls burst open and the Nemean Lion came rocketing out of it and slammed through the glass cabinet that Zoe was previously standing on. Said hunter quickly jumped off when she saw the massive beast coming towards her.

Naruto walked out of the big hole in the wall and they saw him have a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone was safe. Luna came out of her hiding spot and went beside Silena.

The Nemean Lion staggered as it got back up and everyone saw the state it was in. One of its eyes was closed shut and its fur was messy and looked a little scorched from the giant rasengan. Its right paw looked a little twisted from the way it landed.

"Naruto." Silena called out making the Nemean Lion whip its head around to her and roar at her. Before it could attack though, Naruto jumped on its back to everyone's surprise and began wrestling with the massive lion, using his super strength he gained from Sage Mode to keep it at bay.

"Aim for its mouth." He said to them. "Its insides are just like everyone else's. Fire your arrows into its mouth." He said as Silena and Zoe nodded at the suggestion and prepared their bows.

Naruto tightened his grip around the Nemean Lion and stuck his right hand out and formed a rasengan in it.

"Eat this." He said before driving it on top of the Nemean Lions head, drilling into the top of its skull.

The Nemean Lion roared with its mighty jaw going as wide as possible. Silena and Zoe saw the chance and shot arrows into its mouth continuously for as long as the mouth was open.

When they hit, the Nemean Lion stopped moving until it just started to sway from side to side and stagger a little before eventually it dropped to the ground with a resounding thud as Naruto jumped off and landed to the side.

He took a deep breath and everyone watched as the orange marking around his eyes faded away and his eyes went back to normal.

He then looked towards the Lion and watched as it glowed brightly before it disappeared in golden dust and left behind the Nemean Lion Pelt. Walking over to it, he scooped it up and looked it over.

"Huh, pretty cool." He muttered as the others came towards him with Silena grabbing him in a hug.

"Why do you always make me worry so much?" She said as he shrugged.

"Part of being a boyfriend I guess." He said as everyone looked at the pelt and was in awe of it well. Well everyone but Zoe who just looked away.

"I might as well seal this up. Maybe we could find some use for it later during the quest." He said as those around him nodded.

"You will explain some of the techniques you used. Just how strong have you become?" Thalia asked wanting to know since with Naruto newfound power and Silena vast improvements, she was beginning to feel like a weak link in the chain.

"He can do so later for now we need to get out of here." Thalila said as she pointed to the plane that was pinning the skeletons down and saw it was beginning to move and hands were pushing out of the metal.

Since they had gotten what they needed from their current location, they ran out of the museum and hauled ass down the streets and back to their van.

* * *

**Chapter Nine Completed**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Sun West Line**

"So what do we do now?" Thalia asked as the group ran along with one another side by side, making their way towards the van they arrived in.

"We head west. If it's the General who really did take Lady Artemis, then I believe I know where they are and where she is being kept. We need to head west immediately." Zoe said as her braid flew in the air as she ran.

Naruto looked towards Zoe and wondered if she was hiding something. _'This general character has really got her spooked. Has he got some kind of vendetta against her?'_ He wondered as he patted Luna's head who ran beside him.

"So what do we do with kelp for brains here?" Thalia said giving Percy a glare who looked away.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead as he ran. Percy sneaking onto yet another quest had just made it more difficult. Sometime he wondered whether he really did have kelp and seaweed in that head of his.

"He'll have to come with us. We cannot afford to lose anymore time on the quest and sending him back to camp will take up a day at least. For now he stays."

They all nodded while Zoe gave Percy a glare that would have made him combust into ashes.

"Just make sure he stays out of the way otherwise he will just get himself killed." Zoe said scowling at the thought of having Percy come with them on the quest before she turned back around and faced the way they were running.

Percy frowned at the tone Zoe spoke about him in and looked for someone to say something but saw no one did. They all looked at him and just shook their heads, annoyance and disappointment clearly evident on their faces.

"Once we end the day and rest somewhere secure, you will iris messaging the camp and you will be telling Annabeth that you took her precious hat. She is probably turning the Athena cabin upside down trying to find it." Naruto said making Percy go a little pale.

An angry Annabeth was not a foe he wanted to fight any time soon.

Thalia whacked the back of his head before shaking her head at him. "If she is upset when we call her then I am shocking your ass." She said and to make sure she was not kidding, she lit her hand up with sparks.

Percy quickly nodded and decided to stay quiet since speaking anymore right now would probably get him killed.

They ran for another minute when they saw the van up ahead. Quickly climbing in, Zoe got behind the wheel and as soon as all the doors closed, she pushed on the accelerator and sped forward and away from the museum.

Everyone held onto their seats as Zoe's driving made them swerve in and out of traffic lanes with angry horns sounding out from angry drivers.

"I think I should have stuck to running, it might have taken longer but at least it would have been safer." Naruto said as Zoe glared at him.

"There is nothing wrong with my driving. It is efficient, it's safe and its get us where we need to go." She said while everyone looked at her a little skeptically. In the back Luna had a paw over her eyes proving it was a little too much for her and Percy and Grover were going shades of green and looked ready to vomit.

As they drove along the road dodging cars and trucks, they arrived at the Potomac where their when they noticed a figure in the sky heading towards them.

Heading straight towards them was a sleek and militarized helicopter similar to the one they had all seen in Maine.

"They know the van." Grover said as they all halted to a stop. "We have to ditch it."

"We have to try and outrun them for now." Zoe said even though it was very slim that they would be able to since it had the speed advantage. Zoe quickly slipped into the fast lane and pushed down on the accelerator.

The car got faster and faster but helicopter continued to follow them, not giving them a moment of rest.

Sitting beside Silena who was keeping an eye on the helicopter and had one of her daggers ready in her hand, Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

They all looked outside to see if her prayer would be answered from her father, but the skies were just gray and snowy. Not a single thundercloud was anywhere in sight, telling them that Zeus would not be helping them in their quest.

"_Head towards the parking lot."_ A voice in Naruto head called making his eyebrows shoot up. He recognized the voice.

"Uncle Apollo?" He asked back but no word came back. Looking around as they drove he spotted a parking lot which he must have meant.

He told Zoe to head over towards the lot but she looked at him as if he was insane. "We will be trapped if we go in there." She said but Naruto relented and told her to go towards the parking lot.

After a moment of thinking it over, Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a small parking lot on the south bank of the river.

They all got out and Naruto heard his Uncle speak to him again. _"Head down the steps and take the train to Alexandria."_

Naruto nodded and followed the orders and motioned for everyone to follow him. They quickly bough tickets and ran to the train just as it was leaving.

"The subway." Grover said nodding to himself as Luna at their feet, disguised by the mist again as a Labrador. "That was a good call."

"It's not over yet." Naruto said as they all heard the chopper again as they left the station. It was barreling towards them again and stayed with them above the train, refusing to let them out of its sight.

"It does not give up does it. It is very persistent." Silena said.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to shoot it out of the sky?" Percy said thinking getting rid of it now would solve their problem but he guessed not when Zoe gave him a glare.

"If we do then we will caused a lot of problems for the innocent people around us. Plus a helicopter being shot out of the sky will just bring unwanted attention to us. Shooting a helicopter out of the sky will only burden us more then we already are." She said before turning away and making Percy look away.

As they rolled into the next station, they quickly got off and with instructions from Apollo again Naruto ended up buying two more lots of train tickets in an effort to get rid of the helicopter from following them everywhere.

Thankfully though and much to everyone relief once they got out of the third train they had taken in the last half an hour, the sound of the helicopter had disappeared signaling that for now they had managed to evade it.

Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train the group found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow.

"Great we have ended up at some kind of dead-end." Thalia said throwing her hands up in the air in annoyance as she wondered what else could go wrong for them on their first day.

As they looked around for some kind of indication of where they were, about ten meters away a homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. His head turned towards them and he gave them a toothless grin and said. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

Naruto and the others surged seeing no harm in it and Naruto knew he was not a monster in disguise due to his smell. Though his energy signature did feel familiar.

"You know." The homeless man said. "You're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise since that was exactly what they needed while Zoe was glancing at him suspiciously as if she knew who this was but she could not put her finger on it.

"Yes sir." Percy said taking a step forward. "We don't suppose you know of any?"

Everyone looked at Percy skeptically before they noticed the homeless man point a greasy hand over behind him. "I believe that should be able to help you kiddies."

They all looked over to see a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"Wow, that's a little convenient." Thalia said as the others all nodded in their stupor at their luck. They all turned around to thank the homeless man for pointing it out but when they looked back he was gone.

'_I feel like I should have known who it was_.' Naruto thought. _'One of the gods hiding their appearance and power perhaps?'_

"So what do we do?" Silena asked looking at the freight train. "Do we take it or do we look for another way?"

"We don't have much of an option." Grover said patting Luna's head. "I don't think the guy meant us any harm and the train does look safe enough. It might be our best option and I don't think we can afford to be picky right now." He said with everyone nodding at the reasoning.

"Then let's get on it before it leaves without us." Naruto said. The group rushed forward and ran towards the freight train. Naruto grabbed the side of one of the cargo containers and pushed it open as the others quickly climbed aboard and loaded up.

Checking to see no one was watching them; Naruto jumped on and closed the giant door behind him, completely covering them all in darkness.

Before Naruto could get a fire going, the light above them switched on automatically and they felt the train begin moving and rumbling coming from beneath them. They covered their eyes for a moment as they got use to the newfound light before they all stared around them and saw a variety of very expensive and luxurious cars holding up in the cart they were in.

There were two decks all with multiple cars on them, varying in colors and all looking brand new as if they had just been made the other day.

"Wow." The boys all said as they looked at the cars and smoothed theirs hand over the work and paint jobs.

"Whoever owns this cart must be filthy stinking rich." Percy said and everyone was quick to agree with him.

"Well I think the cars will provide us places to sleep for the night. Its going to take us a while to get west, no matter how fast this train is." Naruto said as everyone began picking out a car to sleep in.

Grover quickly picked a yellow Lamborghini and immediately began pretending that he was racing it down some racetrack. Everyone looked at him in amusement. Thalia went and climbed in a black Mercedes and made herself comfortable while Percy took the seat beside her. Zoe thought went on to one of the top decks and got in a large black SUV while Naruto and Silena took up a seat in a red Chevrolet Camero.

Luna meanwhile wanting to enjoy the open space from the freight train and happily sat on the top of one of the SUVs, stretching her large body before getting herself comfortable.

"One day in and this quest is already making me feel tired." Naruto said as he rested his head against the headrest while Silena did the same with her and faced towards him.

"You did fight the Nemean Lion and you went into Sage Mode. It's not surprising. Your body is still getting use to the amount of natural energy you are absorbing, making you feel tired quicker than normal. Once you adapt to it and use it more often, Fukasaku did say the after effects will wear off eventually."

"True I guess. How are you? It's not quite the same as the Sea Of Monsters quest?" He asked as she smiled at him.

"I'm fine; my feet are just a little sore from all the running and the boots rubbing against my feet. Though I think I will have to get use to it." She said as Naruto nodded and motioned for her to put her legs on his lap.

Smiling, she did so as Naruto took her boots off and gave her a foot rub. From the happy sigh she was giving off, he guessed she enjoyed it and the two lapsed into silent while he massaged his girlfriend's feet.

"Percy." Naruto said getting everyone's attention. "You still need to contact Annabeth back at camp. Do it now since we have some time."

Percy paled a little and looked ready to make an excuse to get out of it but he swallowed a lump in his throat and got out of the car. Sooner was better than later.

Taking the water spray from Grover and taking a drachma out of his bag, Percy took a deep breath before he separated the water and threw the drachma into the Iris Message. "Annabeth Chase, Camp Half-Blood." Percy asked.

The mist formed from the water rippled before showing Annabeth inside the Athena Cabin and was rummaging through a box beside her bed in a hurried matter while muttering something as she searched.

"Hey Annabeth." Naruto called out as he stuck his heads out the window. His voice got her attention as she whipped around with her dagger in her hand, ready to strike. Though she calmed down when she saw the Iris Message and was about to smile but then noticed Percy standing there with a nervous smile on his face while carrying her New York Yankees hat in his hand. Her face went from easy going to murderous.

"YOU STUPID SEAWEED BRAIN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" She shouted making Percy gulp. "AND WHY DO YOU HAVE MY HAT?"

"Heh well you see about that Wise girl." Percy said hoping she would go easy on him though he knew it was a long shot. "Iâ€¦..may have snuck onto the quest and taken your invisibility hat."

"Oh dear." Naruto said while he continued to rub his girlfriends feet and Thalia grinned when she saw the angry look on the daughter of Athena's face and watched and listened as she began shouting at him.

For the next five minutes, everyone in the train listened as Annabeth completely chewed Percy out and said some very colorful words that left everyone a little gob smacked at from hearing it. Even ZoÃ« stuck her head out of the SUV she was staying in and had a look of just awe at the girls rant. Grover looked ready to pass out while Thalia was doing her best not to laugh.

Once she was finished she took a deep breath and calmed herself before giving Percy a look that promised pain. "If that hat gets ruined in any way or if there is a single tear or rip in it, then I will cut your testicles off and shove them up your ass." She said making him go pale and making Naruto, Silena and Thalia laugh at the threat. Zoe had an amused smile on her face.

"Go on kelp for brains, go rest. I think you could use it after that." Naruto said as he got out of the car he was in and Percy got back into the Mercedes while a laughing Thalia poked him on the side for getting chewed out by Annabeth.

"So how is it all going on quest?" She asked looking more relaxed since she now knew where Percy and her hat were.

"It's had it's up and downs so far but nothing we couldn't handle." He said before he got serious. "Do you know if Chiron is up or possibly Mr D?" He asked but saw Annabeth shake her head.

"No he left early today. Why do you ask?"

"During the day we ran into the one called the General who we now know is the one behind capturing my mother." He said as Annabeth eyes widened slightly before giving her utmost attention.

"I fought him briefly and from the power that he was letting out, he had to of been a Titan."

"A Titan? Are you sure?" She asked looking worried.

"Positive. His power matched that of the gods and in terms of raw power, this guy had a hell of a lot of it. Even more so then Ares. I need you to speak with Chiron or Mr D when you can and ask them if they know the identity of the General. I would feel better knowing who I might have to battle."

She nodded her head. "I will talk to them first thing in the morning, try and get some answers from them." She said before asking "Do you know if Luke was there?"

Silena, Thalia, Grover and Percy all turned their attention towards Naruto as he stared towards the Iris Message and looked at the pleading look Annabeth was giving him. Sucking in a breath he answered.

"He was though he has probably already headed back west with the General. They seemed rather chummy with one another. Plus Luke did not look all that well. In fact he looked gods awful." He said getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked as Thalia and Grover also leaned in.

"I mean he looked terrible. He was pale, he had lost weight, and his hair lost all its shine, even his eyes looked dulled. He looked like a simple breeze could knock him over. I don't know what he has been doing lately but whatever it is, it's affecting his body."

Annabeth gulped and looked at him with pleading eyes. "If you see him, please speak with him. Try and convince him to come back to us." She asked but saw Naruto's steeled look form, making her and everyone else shiver.

"No Annabeth. Take it from me when I say Luke will not return to us. He has made his choice and he has chosen his path. He had made it evidently clear what he wants and what he wants is to tear down Olympus with Kronos. If he tries to kill one of us then mark my words, I will not hesitate to end his life."

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself and nodded at his words. While Thalia and Grover looked down and didn't like the thought of Naruto killing Luke, Percy, Zoe and Silena nodded to it and knew they would do the same if they had to.

Sensing the conversation was over, Annabeth swiped at the iris message as the misty water disappeared in front of Naruto.

Naruto swept a hand through his hair before he made his way back to the car and sat back down beside Silena who placed her head on his shoulder.

They train lapsed in silence for some time, no one wanting to speak as they just listened to the rumble of the train underneath them. Grover cleaned his reed pipes again while Thalia was trying to hotwire a car so she could listen to some music.

"I had a dream about Artemis yesterday." Percy blurted out making everyone in the train whip their heads around and look at him. No one dared to make a joke due to the circumstances.

In a flash Naruto and Zoe appeared in front of him.

"Start explaining." Zoe said with a steeled look on her face while Naruto gave Percy a nod, telling him to start explain.

"I'm not sure where we were but it was on top of some kind of hill. That man, the General was there and he had Artemis beside him with her hand in chains. Her clothes look a little ripped and had a few bruises on her as if she had been struggling and trying to get free."

Zoe and Naruto took deep breaths but everyone could see they looked concerned.

"They then stopped and looked towards a girl who was on her knees and was in pain. She looked like she was holding a dark cloud that went on for as wide as they eye could see. I think she was a hunter since she wore ripped and torn silver parka jacket. The General then said that she would be crushed if someone did not take it from her. Artemis looked stuck on what to do before the General released her and she pushed the girl out of the way and took the dark cloud thing on her shoulders."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at Zoe.

"Do you have any idea what this cloud thing is? Who the girl could be?" He asked as Zoe had a thoughtful looked cross her face as if contemplating whether or not to speak or not.

She battled with herself internally before speaking.

"You say the girl wore a silver parka jacket. Can you describe what she looked like?" Zoe asked as Percy nodded and began describing her.

"She looked about fourteen with lightly tanned skin, brown hair tied in a long braid. Um she had blue eyes I think and a few freckles underneath her left eye."

Zoe took a deep breath. "That's Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?" Naruto asked as he had thoughtful look on his face. "I think I met her the summer I arrived. It was back in California and we were heading to the Underworld. Did something happen to her before Maine because I remember seeing her."

"Yes, about a week before we arrived in Maine, Elizabeth was sent to take care of a hellhound that had popped up nearby. She had done the job many times before so we thought nothing of it. After a couple of hours past and she had not come back, we began getting worried and we all headed towards the location we sent her too.

"When we arrived we found signs of a struggle and her bow was on the ground while Elizabeth was nowhere in sight. Lady Artemis tried to sense her out but she could not feel Elizabeth anywhere. We believed that the Hellhound must have got the jump on her and devoured her body since there were no remains."

"But with Percy's dream we now know that is not true." Naruto said as she nodded.

"If she was indeed there then it must mean she was captured before hand and was used as bait. Lady Artemis would never turn away a maiden in need and seeing one of her hunters in such a state, it would have given the General leverage over her and to manipulate her."

"Using her weakness against her." Thalia added as she listened in beside Percy.

"It's smart, you have to give them that." Silena added as everyone reluctantly nodded.

"It means whoever we are fighting knows what they are doing and they know the Art of War."

"Then we best rest up and try to figure out what that cloud thing Percy saw is. Whatever it is, it's strong enough to keep a goddess down and out so we have to be wary of it."

Naruto went back to the car he and Silena were staying in while Zoe jumped back up onto the second deck and back inside the SUV.

As Naruto lay back against the seat, his eyes scanned Zoe direction and he furrowed his brow. Something did not add up and he knew Zoe knew something the rest of them were unaware of in this quest.

'_But what is it?'_ He thought.

Beside him, Silena linked her hand with his.

"What's wrong? You look distracted." She asked brushing her fingertips up against his arm.

"It's Zoe." He said as a frown appeared on her face as Naruto continued to look in her direction.

"What about her?"

Naruto's lips thinned a little before he spoke. "I think she knows who the General is." He said surprising Silena.

"You think so?" Silena asked as she looked in ZoÃ«'s direction. "How do you think?"

"It's her reaction every time the name is brought up. The first time his name was mentioned back in Maine, she froze up and went pale. Then there was the dream we both had and again she looked very off put. Then early today when I said we saw him in the Museum, she froze up again and just looked completely terrified."

Silena nodded and frowned a moment later and clicked her tongue.

"But if she knows then why is she keeping it a secret. If we know who we are fighting then it will benefit us in the long run. It's better to know our opponent then being kept in the dark."

He nodded in agreement. "I know but something about this guy just has her spooked, like he knows things about her that she wants to be kept secret and away from the public. If we push her it could do more bad then good."

"If she knows who this is then do you think she knows where your mother is being kept then?"

"I think so but we can't just go up to her and force it out of her. Interrogating her for this kind of information will just make her trust us less and less and it will turn her against us. And when it comes to my mother, her will looks to be ironclad. She won't be budging for anyone.

"I could rough her up a bit if you like. I'm sure Thalia would be happy to help."

"I think that is something we should try and avoid right now." He said smiling at his girlfriend.

Silena huffed and crossed her arms. "Pity, why not." She said making Naruto smile at her and kiss her on the lips. He held it there for a few seconds as Silena wrapped her arms around his neck before separating.

"Because I don't want you too to start duking it out in the middle of this quest. That is a bloodbath I would like to try and avoid."

Silena rolled her eyes before nodding in reluctance before she propped her feet back up onto his lap and wiggled her toes.. "Massage now."

Naruto smiled. "Yes your majesty." He said mock bowing before instead he grabbed her foot and started tickling her making her squeal out in surprise.

"NO YOU MEANY!" She yelled out as Naruto laughed and tickled her all over making her squirm and shudder before she managed to get on top of him and pin him down. She smirked and rubbed her foot against his leg before they began a make out session.

"Get a room you two." Thalia shouted out from the Mercedes as she finished wiring the car and was listening to alternate rock stations.

* * *

**Later on that Evening**

As night fell, everyone got comfortable in their places and sat in their seats, contemplating the day they have had as well as getting the rest they needed, so they could be ready for the next day.

Naruto had moved to sit with Grover and Percy while Thalia was speaking with Silena since she wanted the details of her training trip.

Explaining it to Thalia, the daughter of Zeus was in awe at how far the daughter of Aphrodite had come in just six months and explained to Thalia why she was so cold and showed no emotion when she killed the demi gods.

"I knew going into the training that I would have to take a human life eventually, especially since this war is going to happen and with so many demi gods siding with the Titans."

"So Naruto and Shima took me out into the forest of the Land of Fire and we went to a bandit camp. They were the common low life's you would think they were, thieves, murders, rapists, frauds etc. Naruto and Shima wanted me to learn how to take a life now so that I could grow use to it in a way and not have all the emotions pouring out of me when I do take a life for the first time because the first kill is the one you always remember."

"And you remember yours?" Thalia asked as Silena nodded.

"We had just arrived at the bandit camp and it was a chance for me to put my training into affect and show it was not all for nothing. Naruto had quickly started to demolish them while I picked them off but I was not killing them, I was knocking them out. However I could someone coming from behind me with the intention to kill so I turned around and on instinct drove my dagger forward."

"When I turned around my dagger was in the chest of a boy a couple of year older than us."

Thalia watched as Silena turned her head to wipe a tear away.

"I watched as the life left his eyes and they rolled back. Then within seconds he dropped to the ground dead."

"Afterwards I have never cried so much in my entire life. I threw up in some bushes afterwards and Naruto consoled me for the next two days and he and Shima explained in to me gently and told me what I did was not wrong and that that boy despite being so young would have killed me if I had not defended myself."

"And though it took me a while I understood what they meant and now when it comes to killing I know that I am only killing because it for the greater good and it's to protect."

"That's why we fight. We don't fight to fight, we fight to protect."

"That makes sense. That's sounds like something Naruto or Chiron would say."

She laughed. "I guess it does sound like it."

"So you really have no qualms in killing demi gods like us anymore?" Thalia asked as Silena shook her head.

"It might sound cruel but no I don't. The demi gods that chose to side with the Titans made their choice and now they will stick to it. When we fight them, they will come at us with the intention of killing us and destroying everything that we hold dear to us. If I have to end their life to protect everything I hold dear like Naruto, my siblings, my friends, my dad and my mom then so be it, that is what I will do."

Thalia nodded before asking another question. "Just how strong have you become?"

Silena smirked as if wondering when she would ask that question since she knew Thalia could be a littleâ€¦..prideful when she wanted to be and was not fond of people being a lot stronger then she was. A trait she inherited from Zeus.

"My training wasâ€¦..intense to say the least. Every day it was up at dawn and then bed by ten at night getting small breaks and pushing my body to the limits. It was basically train until you can't move anymore and then to some more on top of that."

Thalia paled a little at the sound of the training.

"But the results were miraculous, plus it put my body in the best shape it could ever be in."

"Strength wise if I went all out I could probably match the hunter girl brooding up in that SUV though she does have more experience than I do so it might be more of a tie. Against Naruto I can hold my own for a little while but once he gets serious then he would overpower me."

"So what did you work on then exactly?" Thalia asked as she dug for more information.

"Well we conditioned my body every morning and then during the day we would alternate. We would mix it up each day and do about two hours each of archery, hand to hand combat, gymnastics, plus the shinobi training like how to wield and throw kunai and shurikens as well as stealth."

"Sound really intense." Thalia said as Silena nodded.

"It was but the results was what I wanted which was to be able to stand with Naruto when the war began so I would to get left behind and just watch as everyone else did the fighting. I wanted to play my part and be the protector and not the protectee."

"Though Naruto had it even harder since whenever he made a mistake Fukasaku would whack him on the back of his head with his wooden stick."

Thalia watched as Silena spoke about Naruto and she saw her eyes just light up and sparkle as she did as well as her cheeks flush a little.

"You two are really in love aren't you?" she asked.

Silena was surprised by the question but she smiled brightly and nodded.

"We are. He is just soâ€¦perfect. He is everything I could have ever wanted and so much more. He is kind, he makes me laugh, he's very protective but he respects me enough to let me make my own choices and decisions, he looks at me as equals and he spoils me whenever he gets the chance."

Thalia smiled before her smile turned a little coy.

"Have you twoâ€¦ you knowâ€¦done it yet?" She asked looking a little curious.

It did not take Silena long to figure out what she meant and went red and looked away.

"No, no we have not done that yet. We have thought about it but we want to wait until we are both ready to take that next step since it's a big deal. Plus I kind of have to win his mother over first before that happens."

"True, Lady Artemis does seem the protective type." Thalia said from her one meeting with the goddess.

"Yeah well wait until he meets my mom. Then he will be running for the hills." Silena said as both girls shared a laugh. No doubt the future meeting between Naruto and Aphrodite would be an interesting one to say the least.

As they laughed they watched as Naruto got out of the car, jumped onto the second deck, and got into the SUV.

"Now he is playing with fire," Thalia said as both girls nodded before going back to their conversation.

* * *

**With Naruto**

Naruto jumped on the second deck of car and quickly opened the door and took a seat in the SUV.

Beside him he saw Zoe sitting there looking more relaxed then she had been so far throughout the quest.

"What do you want?" Zoe asked as she just gazed off to the side, not sparing a glance towards Naruto.

"Just coming to see how you are since you have isolated yourself away from everyone else."

"Well as you can see I am fine, so you can go now."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her but instead made himself comfortable. "No I am pretty comfy here. I think I will stay here for a bit." He said.

As he spoke, Zoe slowly turned around to look at him with a frown on her face before she quickly looked away. Naruto saw the frown and had one of his own appear on his face.

"Why do you hate me so much?" He asked softly as Zoe turned to look at him and saw his eyes now had a sad look in them, much different from the playful or the serious look she had seen before.

While she did not really want to explain it to him, the look he gave her was beginning to win her over before she eventually sighed and turned fully around to look at him.

"You are everything myself and the hunters have always dreamed of being." She asked as Naruto looked at her confusingly.

"You are our lady's trueborn child and you have her blood running through you. You do not understand how many of us, myself included would kill to be her real children. And we were until you came along."

Naruto sat back as he listened.

"I have been with Lady Artemis for over two thousand years and in those years her life has been dedicated to the hunt and to us girls. Nothing else mattered and we had adventures that no one else in the world would ever have. But then you arrived and her focus has been divided with most of it now lying on you."

"Most of the girls in the hunt were either treated badly by men or they had simply been left abandoned and hurt by those they thought cared for them. They look to Artemis like a role model, a mother figure and yet now with you around, that mother figure has been tainted because they now realizes they will never really be her children."

"We are jealous of you because you have a love from Lady Artemis that us hunters have never received back. We thought we could be okay with it at first and grow to care for you in some way but it just kept getting harder and harder to do so and with Lady Artemis disappearing from time to time checking in on you when she should have been focusing on the hunt. Not checking on you. That is what the camp is for. So that gods and goddess don't have to look after you all."

"While you may have one some brownie points with us with things like defeating Ares, head butting Tantalus or bringing two new girls to the camp, we hunters won't be swayed so easily."

Naruto just sat there and listened to her speak and it further dawned on him that the hunters did not hate him per say, they were just so envious and jealous of him and the new relationship he had with his mother, that they were giving him the tough, we hate you attitude to show him they would not be affected by his presence when really they were.

"Hmm." he hummed softly as Zoe looked at him from the corner of her eye before he shrugged a little.

"I guess that's fair in a way but now that just means I have a better chance then I originally thought I did." He said as Zoe turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto grinned. "It just means that I definantly have hope and I swear that by the end of this quest I'm going to be calling you big sis whether you like it or not and you will call me your brother."

Zoe looked at him a little gob smacked and was about to talk back to him but stopped when she felt a very quick kiss on her cheek that made her go a little red.

Before she could do anything though Naruto got out of the car at speed of lightning and went back to his own. Zoe was going to chase after him but she felt too exhausted and figured she would just get him back in the morning.

"Stupid boy." She muttered pouting before closing her eyes as she let Morpheus take over. As she did she would never know that as she slept a tiny smile grew on her face.

* * *

**Chapter Ten Completed**

**Hey everyone I am sure you have noticed that this story has been kinda slow in getting updated. I am in no way abandoning this story so I don't know where that rumor came from. Thing is my spark for this story is kind of low at the moment and at the moment I have alot of inspiration for my Devils Dragon Story. This story will take a little break because I dont want to write more chapters for it when my motivation and spark for this story is low since it would just reflect badly on the chapters that get written.**

**Thank you all for being patient. I will most likely get back to this story is a few weeks. I'm sure many of you understand :)**

**Also know that when I get back to it, Percy, Thalia, Silena and Zoe will be getting some pretty kick ass moment since I noticed I have favored Naruto a bit too much.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Mr Piggy**

Naruto yawned as he stretched his arms and slowly got out of the car he ad been sleeping in. On the seat next to him was Silena who was resting her head on the window on the car with Naruto's jacket being used as her pillow.

As he stepped out he stroked Luna's head as the large wolf licked is hand in response. He smiled as he noticed that he was not the only one up. Grover was sitting on the hood of one of the cars while Zoe was sitting on the roof of the SUV, checking on her equipment.

"Morning," he said which got a response from Grover while Zoe just gave him a nod before returning to her work.

He looked down at Percy and had to snort when he saw the boy was drooling. Grabbing the boys head he began shaking his head around like a crazy person. Percy wake up, wake up, wake up, Thalia's naked.

Percy's eyes shot open as he stumbled around and fell out of the car as he looked at Thalia who was beginning to wake up from the commotions. He had to laugh when he saw that his face was a little disappointed.

"Who knew children of Poseidon were such perverts," he said as Percy glared at him.

"Not funny," was all he said in reply as rubbed his eyes to get the sleepers out.

From behind a pair of arms laced around Naruto and could feel someone's head nuzzling into his back. He smiled was he turned to find his girlfriends awake.

"Stop teasing the boy fish child," he playfully scolded as she took a hair brush out of her bag and started to get rid of the bed head she had received form sleeping in a car by looking in a car mirror.

"How did you sleep?" he asked as Silena shrugged.

"Not too bad considering it was inside a car. It was better than having to sit on the steel ground," she said as she tapped her foot on the floor of the train cart. "So what is the plan for today?"

"Wait until we got to our stop first then plan ahead since we have no idea where we will be stopping," Naruto said as she nodded back in understanding. "Hopefully it should take us some where relatively close. I mean we should be west of the USA now anyway so it's a big leap from where we were yesterday."

"We should all start preparing," he said to everyone as Percy, Grover and Thalia began checking on their gear and making sure they did not leave anything behind in the cars. From her spot Zoe put her arrow back in their quiver and just sat there watching everyone from on top of the SUV.

As she watched Luna padded over towards her and jumped on the hood of the car and placed her large head In her lap. Zoe let a rare smile appear on her face as her hand stroked the top of Luna's head and scratched the back of her ears.

In response Luna let her tongue roll out indicating she liked the scratching part.

Zoe then let out a small chuckle which no one else heard. She couldn't let her image as the Ice Queen of the Hunters go to ruin.

"You know we could really use a great wolf like you in the hunt," she said as she looked Luna in the eyes. "I'm sure the hunt would be much better suited for your talents and you could actually run through different woods and forest all over the world."

The only response she got from Luna was her shaking her head, indicating what the answer was.

"Why? You and the other wolf back at that camp are just wasting your potential there. What's keeping you there?"

Luna let out a low bark and turned her head to point towards Naruto who had Thalia on his back with said girl trying to choke him after hearing how he got Percy up.

"You know he won't be here forever. Eventually he will get old and die while you will still be young since Dire Wolves live very long lives. The hunt really would be better for you. Once we save Lay Artemis we can take you in without much problem," she said trying to push the subject again.

Though was again Luna just shook her head and let out a small huff.

"Very well I see there is no changing your answer. Well if you change your mind then it's always open," Zoe muttered as Luna took her head of her lap and jumped of the SUV. She went towards Grover and took his panpipes into her mouth.

The next ten minutes everyone watched amused as Grover chased the giant wolf all around the train cart, praying to pan that she did not bite down to hard and destroy his favorite instrument.

* * *

**Hour Later**

Everyone jumped out of the train cart as they land on an old looking train platform with no one else around. The train behind them started moving again the moment they were all off and they all watched as it took off at great speed before it glowed yellow and completely disappeared.

"Thanks Uncle Apollo," Naruto shouted to the sky and in response the temperature went up a little. Then everyone turned around and saw that everything was covered in snow other then where the train had previous been where the snow had all mounted. The air was cold and thin and a few of them shivered from the sudden cold.

"So where have we ended up?" Thalia asked as Percy pointed over towards a sign that was covered in snow. Sweeping it away with his hand they got their answer.

"WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. Wow that did get us far," Grover said now making them realize they were making pretty good time if they were already that far west.

"Come on I think I can see the town just up ahead," Naruto said as he was the first to begin walking with Luna beside him as everyone else quickly followed behind him.

It didn't take them very long to begin walking into the small town and it really was just that. Small. You could pretty much see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.

Zoe had told them walking in that it was a ski town for those that went skiing and snowboarding during the winter seasons. Though thankfully for them the streets were almost devoid of life. Most were either in their homes or were skiing.

"Great, what do we do now?" Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

"Well we could get some warmer clothes while we are here. Since I know three of you really did not think this trip through," he said as he pointed out Grover, Percy and Thalia's cold and shaking forms. Naruto pulled out his wallet and gave them all a hundred dollar bill each. "Go to the tourist store. I'm sure they have snow jackets inside. Go get some warmer clothes."

The trio nodded though they wondered how Naruto could carry so much money with him. Then again it was not like anyone would dare to mug him.

"What will you guys do?" Percy asked as Silena pointed over the street towards a coffee store.

"Now that sounds like a good idea. Get me a hot chocolate," Thalia asked.

"Yes," Zoe said. "Coffee is good."

"And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."

Everyone look at him oddly. Satyrs really did have strange appetites.

"Alright Percy and Thalia go to the tourist store while we will go to the Coffee shop and get us some warm drinks and food. Meet back in this spot when we are done Silena suggested with everyone nodding. It was a sound plan.

"Grover I want you to see if there is a bus or another train that might be able to take us further." Grover gave a quickly bleep before he nodded and made his way down the street.

Percy and Thalia huddled together and made their way to the tourist store while Naruto, Silena and Zoe walked towards the coffee store.

"What shall we do about Luna?" Silena asked as Naruto chuckled in response.

"I wouldn't worry about her. She seems to be having fun so we can leave her to it," he said as they saw that Luna was rolling around in the snow making some kind of wolf angel.

Naruto and Silena openly laughed while Zoe bit back her chuckle and entered inside. The couple followed after a few moments later and quickly sighed happy sighs when they felt the warm air inside the shop hit them.

The place smelt like coffee and cinnamon and they could see little cakes and brownies in the ovens behind the counter.

Smells like heaven Naruto said with a goofy expression on his face as went over to get their orders while Silena was looking at the pasty section. Zoe looked at the two of them before she decided to stand next to Naruto since Silena still hated her.

"Four hot chocolates, two coffee and a box of cupcakes to go please," Naruto ordered handing money over to the clerk.

"I want cinnamon in mine," Silena added.

"Decaf for me," Zoe muttered as the clerk nodded and went to get their orders.

The trio stood at the checkout as they waited for their orders with Silena picking at a piece of dirt that was under her nails while Naruto tapped his finger on the table. Zoe had her arms crossed and was going over the plan to save Artemis.

'_By car it will take us around 17 hours to get to San Francisco if we pull an all-nighter and drive right there but we don't have a car. Train will take us to too many stops and walking at the pace with the campers will take far too long. It would be so much easier if I had the other girls.'_

'_Though at least they have proven somewhat useful up to now,' _she thought before a thought crossed her mind.

"Tell me why is the son of Poseidon still accompanying us? I thought he would have been sent back by now?" she asked making Naruto and Silena turn their heads to look at her. She still was not pleased with Percy sneaking onto their quest.

The response she got was Naruto shrugging.

"I have come to learn that if you tell Percy not to do something, ninety percent of the time he will the go and do it. Besides Percy might look a little flaky but he is a good person to have on your side.

"Like how? I do not see how he can benefit this quest?"

"Well for started he can talk to aquatic creatures. He can use that ability to see if any of them have any clues on my mother or on the enemy. He is pretty handy with a sword which I am sure you and the hunt have already seen," he said making him give him a mild glare.

"That and Percy is loyal to fault. From what Annabeth told me that's his fatal flaw. So you never have to worry about him betraying you or stabbing you in the back. He might not be the sharpest knife in the draw BUT he does have his moments."

Zoe looked like she lightened up a bit, especially when she heard the loyalty part since it reminded her of her own flaw which coincidently was also her loyalty to Artemis and the hunt.

She humphed and turned to look away. "Well he best not get in my way or I will stick an arrow in thee."

"Stick an arrow in him, not stick an arrow in thee," Silena corrected with a smirk which made Zoe give her a glare in return. "You would think after two thousand years you would learn to speak English."

"I am speaking English. It's not my fault this language keeps changing every couple of centuries.

"Then try and keep up, unless age is finally catching up to you."

"Keep thy mouth shut or I will stick an arrow where the sun doesn't shine."

"Let's try and leave Uncle Apollo out of this girls," Naruto butted in but got a glare from both of them warning him to stay out of it. He quickly took a step back and the two got in each other's faces and were sizing each other up. The were about the same body type and height.

He really did not want these two to start fighting in the middle of this nice little coffee shop.

"You're welcome to try bitch."

"Slut."

"Hag"

"Weakling."

'_This won't stop for a while'_ Naruto thought as he listened to the two of them bicker and call each other names. The hunters and children of Aphrodite really did not get along. As he turned around he saw the guy at the checkout had returned and was looking at the scene oddly.

"They do this often?" he asked as Naruto nodded sadly.

"My girlfriend," he said pointing to Silena "and my sister. They don't really get along. My sister is very protective of me," he said in hushed tone though Zoe still heard him and told him not to call her that while Silena told her not to yell at him.

"See what I mean," he said as the guy nodded.

"Yeah I have been there."

Naruto reached out and was about to collect the tray of drinks and the box of cupcakes but had to stop when he heard some chairs get knocked over. Turning around he rubbed his forehead when he saw Silena and Zoe on the ground with each other in a headlock while still throwing insults. Though it looked like Zoe had the upper hand, he knew Silena could be very scrappy.

'_Great,'_ he thought before walked towards them both and with great strength broke them apart with Silena in his left arm and Zoe in his right. They were still try to get to one another even after they had been broke apart.

He held them there for a good minute until they eventually got tired and came to a halt.

"Our food and drinks are here if you would like to help," he said giving them both a raised eyebrow as Silena huffed and crossed her arms while Zoe glared at him.

"Put thy down," she said prompting Naruto to gently put her down. She went forward and took the box of cakes before she made her way out side.

"Don't start," he said when he saw Silena was about to comment on ZoÃ«'s language again.

"Fine I won't say anything. You can put me down now," she said but in response she got a flick on the ear form Naruto that made her pout cutely at him.

"No chance. If I do you two might start bickering and whatever little spat you just had on the floor again. No you are staying on my shoulder for a time out," he said grinning at her look of disbelief.

"Time out? I'm 15 I don't have time outs anymore," she said but Naruto just continued grinning as he picked up the cardboard tray with their drinks.

He turned around and walked out leaving a confused and baffled employee behind him while Silena crossed her arms, not impressed at how she was being treated.

* * *

**Outside**

When they returned outside they saw Grover, Thalia, Percy, ZoÃ« and Luna huddled together with Percy, Grover and Thalia now sporting new jackets to keep them warm. When they look over they had a look of confusion as to why Silena was on his shoulder.

"She's in time out. Here are your drinks," he said holding the tray out as everyone took their drinks. Though when Zoe did so she smirked at Silena who in return just gave her the bird.

"So anything Grover?" Naruto asked as he took a bite Out of his cake.

"No go. The last bus left earlier this morning and the next won't be here until tomorrow due to alL the snow. There are no trains go in or out either since the old railway apparently has not been used in years."

"Great," everyone groaned as they took a sip of their drinks.

Before Naruto could place his lips around the cup a warm breeze swept past them that was far too warm for winter weather. It was like something you would have gotten in the summer walking through the strawberry fields back at camp with the smell of the fresh strawberries and the tree's hit you."

He stopped because a strong senjutsu signature suddenly spiked to life before it vanished just a seconds later. It went so quickly that he did not get a chance to track it. Though by the looks of things he was not the only one who sensed it.

Grover's eyes were flickering open and shut until eventually he dropped his cup. When he did the birds on the side of the cup came to life and flew off and Grover dropped down onto his butt.

"Woh buddy," Percy said taking his shoulder before Silena spoke up and pointed across the street. When they looked over they noticed two of the skeletons back from the museum had appeared.

"Crap how did they get here so quickly?" Thalia asked since the skeletons did not look like athlete runners to her. Her spear came to life in her hands while Zoe got her bow out.

"I don't know but I don't think we should stay and find out," Naruto said since he still could not think of a way to destroy them completely since technically they were already dead.

Percy and Thalia lifted Grover up and hastily they ran from the skeleton who were in hot pursuit.

"Naruto put me down, I'm still on your shoulder," Silena shouted at him but Naruto ignored her and continued to run.

The group ran for the good part of fifteen minutes all the way out of the town and into a wooded area in hopes of losing them but it was unlikely due to them having Percy's scent. They had handguns in their hands but had yet to shoot at them.

"It's near," Grover moaned out, his eyes still flickering wildly. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."

"The Wild!" Grover said out loud again just as a warm wind blew through the forest, rustling the trees.

"I don't suppose anyone has a plan do they?" Naruto asked as his hands were ready to start forming hand seals while Silena had finally been released from Naruto's hold and had her bow out. "Well besides Grover's rambling anyway."

Next to them one of the skeleton took a shot at Percy but the son of Poseidon saw the skeleton puts it finger on the trigger the second before it fired. He managed to jump and roll out of the way and focused on the snow around them.

"Take this," he called as the snow around them melted into water and a large waved hit the skeletons and swept them away a good thirty meters before slamming them into the tree.

"Yes!" Thalia said before she quickly formed her Aegis as it blocked two bullets from two new skeleton that appeared from their side.

"Gods I think they are all beginning to appear now," she moaned as she kept her shield firmly in front of her for protection.

Before anyone could answer and before Naruto could make a wind jutsu they all noticed the tree's behind the skeleton were shaking and the sound of branches were getting snapped.

"It's here," Grover mumbled as Luna licked his face with a slobbery lick, trying to get him to snap out of it.

"What's here?" they all asked just as the biggest pig any of them had ever seen jumped out from the tree's and barreled into the skeletons. It was easily around thirty feet tall with a big snotty pink nose with brown hair. Though they all noticed it had an angry and wild look on its face.

"REEEEEEEEEET"" it squealed, and raked the three skeletons aside with its tusks.

They all watched as the skeletons went flying over the tree's, one which slammed into a tree's and broke apart on impact due to the force. The others continued to sail through the air before breaking apart when they hit the side of a mountain.

"Wow," the girls said while Naruto and Percy whistled in amazement.

"That's one awesome piece of bacon," Percy said before they noticed the pig had turned towards them with the same wild look on its face.

"You had to insult it," Naruto muttered deadpanning at Percy who chuckled nervously.

Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"

"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoe sad, trying to stay calm "I don't think we can kill it."

"It's a gift," Grover said. "A blessing from the Wild!"

"Not much of a gift anymore," Silena gulped as her bow was still In her hands and was aimed at the pig. At least it was until Grover knocked the arrow out of her bow.

"HEY!" she said whipping around to look at Grover just as the Boar decided to charge. It went forward and aimed right for Silena.

"Everyone split up," Zoe yelled as everyone began running in different directions in hopes that it would confuse it.

While it did seem to work for a moment it quickly focused back on Silena and charged forward.

"Damn," Silena whispered as she began running as fast as she could through the forest with the boar charging after her. She could hear it thanks to its heavy steps and despite its size she could hear it getting louder and louder.

'_It might be large but it's very quick'_ she thought before she made a sharp right and began climbing one of the tree's. Thanks to her training she could jump from one tree to another without the use of chakra though she had to make sure there was something to grab hold of.

As she climbed higher and higher on the new tree she felt the boar slam into the tree and make the entire tree shake and made grip tighten to stop from falling off.

The boar tried another few attempts but the tree she climbed up on was very thick and sturdy. She prayed to whoever was listening that the tree would not go down.

Just as it reared itself for another strike Percy and Thalia got its attention to get it away from Silena while Naruto and Zoe were in the tree's above around them.

"Come on piggy come and get me," Percy said shaking his rear at the pig while Thalia looked at him as if he had a death wish and Zoe shook her head at the horrid display. She would never get that out of her head ever again.

The boar made a grunting sound before it turned away from Silena and now began chasing Percy and Thalia. As it left Naruto went over to check Silena before the duo along with Zoe and Grover who appeared out of a bush look towards the direction Percy and Thalia headed off in.

"They are so dead ,"they all muttered before they chased after them.

"What kind of a plan was this," Thalia shouted at him as she and Percy were now being chased by a ten tonne piece of bacon that had crazy eyes that was meant for killing.

"I don't know. I just sort of went for it so we could lead it away."

"Well think of something better next time," she said trying to slap the back of his head but kept missing due to Percy sprinting ahead every time she tried.

"This way!" Percy said grabbing Thalia's arm as they ran along the rails of an old train track while the boar roared behind them, slipping and sliding as it tried to navigate the steep hillside. Snowy terrain was obviously not its cup of tea as it kept knocking into some tree's.

They ran through an old train tunnel and appeared out the other side where an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge.

"This way," Percy said holding onto Thalia arms and leading them towards the bridge though noticed that she was beginning to slow down the closer to the bridge they were getting. They looked behind them and saw the boar storm out of the tunnel.

It looked around for a moment before it saw them and continued after them. Behind the boar the others appeared and did the same before following after the boar.

As the two demi gods ran they suddenly made a stop when Thalia yelled out in fear. Percy saw her face was very pale and her whole body was shaking as her eyes focused down in front of them.

They were at the edge of the bridge and right below them, the mountain dropped away into a snow-filled gorge about seventy feet below. When he saw it Percy had to gulp since it was very high up but behind them he could hear the boar getting closer.

"We have to jump or it will crush us," he said as Thalia shook her head madly.

"No, no I can't. It's tooâ€¦..high." she said as she bit her lip. Percy looked behind them again and saw it was getting closer.

Making a quick decision and a very quick plan in his head, he prayed that Thalia would forgive him for this as he grabbed her shield, placed it on the ground and sat on it. He then grabbed Thalia and put her on his lap before he pushed them off the side and into the canyon, sliding down the cliff face on the shield like a toboggan.

"AHHHHHHHH," Thalia screamed as she held onto Percy's neck for dear life while Percy had near enough gone deaf from her screaming.

Above them the boars eyes went wide and came to a very quick halt. It skidded along the top and was about to slide of the cliff until its finally managed ot grip itself and stopped just an inch away from the cliff face.

"Why did it stop?" they all wondered behind the boar before they noticed the sheer drop on the other side.

"Oh no," Naruto said seeing it first as he tried to stop but the floor had become very icy and found himself sliding across the ground. He slammed into the back of the boar but thankfully it didn't move.

Behind you Silena called out as she barrelled into him, making the boar go a tiny bit forward.

"Oh, no, no," Zoe shouted before she too slammed into the boar and again it nudged forward just a little but still not enough to go off.

They took an easy breath before they heard familiar screaming coming towards them. They looked over and went pale when they saw Grover sliding towards them at great speed with his arms in the air.

"NOOOO GROVER ,"they all shouted before Grover slammed not them and gave the boar the last push before the boar and the group went tumbling off the cliff side.

From below them Percy found himself lying on something amazing soft and warm. It definantly wasn't snow since it wasn't cold. He felt like he could fall asleep at any moment.

Percy he heard as Thalia voice sounded very angry and embarrassed. Wondering why he lifted his head up from the pillow like object to look at Thalia.

When he did he went red just like Thalia face as he realized what he was snuggling onto was none other than her chest and noticed his hands went currently groping them.

Before Thalia could do anything to him they heard screaming from above them and saw the boar and their four companions come tumbling down the cliff. Both of them got up and jumped ut of way just as the giant boar landed right where they had been sitting while their friends all landed around it.

Naruto landed on his two feet though lost his balance and fell on his butt. Silena was half buried n snow while Zoe had her top half completely submerged snow. Grover meanwhile had somehow landed comfortably on his knees though he was shaking a bit from the fall.

"Ow," Silena muttered as she steadily stood up before laughing at Zoe who was struggling to get out of her predicament. After a few moments she eventually got out and glared at Silena who had an innocent look on the face.

From the other side Percy was sent spiraling into the ground with a charred look on his face. "If I ever see you even looking at them I will castrate you," she said as she crossed her arms and covered her chest area though she did have a blush on her face.

"A blessing of the Wild," Grover said, though he now looked agitated as he turned his attention to the boar. Zoe walked up beside him as she dusted snow out of her hair.

"I agree," Zoe said. "We must use it. If it was sent here then it was sent to aid us."

"Hold up," Thalia said irritably. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing. If you did not notice it just tried to kill us and flatten us into pancakes."

Grover looked over, distracted since he kept his eyes on the boar. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

"I have an idea," Silena muttered.

Everyone watched as Grover bit his lip before he clicked his fingers and to their surprise jumped on top of the boar which was still disorientated from the fall.

He took out his pipes and started playing a snappy tune while tossing an apple in front of the boar. To their surprise again the apple floated and spun right above the boar's nose causing the boar to eye it and started snapping at it.

"Automatic steering," Thalia murmured. "Great."

That's one way I guess. Good job Grover Naruto said as Naruto felt a nudge form behind him and turned to see Luna standing there. "Where did you go?"

'_Breakfast'_ she told him as gulped down whatever poor critter she managed to get a hold off. Naruto shook his head while patting her own before following everyone as they jumped on top of the boar.

He took his spot behind Silena and was at the very back of the boar with Thalia in front of Silena, then Percy, Zoe and finally Grover at the front.

"Alright Mr Pig let's get going," Naruto said as Grover began playing his flute again. The apple began moving away from the pig and the pig gave chase, intent on getting his snack.

* * *

**Chapter 11 Completed**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Meeting Love**

"So it was gift from Pan?" Percy asked as he went over in his head what Grover had told him. That the lost god had sent the boar to them to help aid them in their quest to find Artemis.

"That's right. I know it sounds crazy but that energy I felt and the warm breeze. I could have sworn I could also here someone whisper in my ear. Telling me that help was on its way and that it would help us in our quest."

"It's a feeling I have not felt in many years," Zoe muttered. "Pan disappeared only a few years after I joined the hunt. I only met him the once but I could see he was a respectable man. It's no wonder why Satyrs worship him more than they worship the Olympians."

"But why now?" Thalia asked as she played with her bracelet. "He's been missing for so long. Why just make contact now of all times?"

"Maybe he recognizes how disastrous it would be to nature and the wild if Artemis was lost forever. They do both have a great respect and love for nature after all."

Silena idea's got a few nodding heads. Grover was beaming and was muttering how close he must have been to fulfilling his lifelong dream and the dream of every satyr in the lost two thousand years.

"Could we not find him now then?" Percy asked since a lost gods help could definantly prove worthwhile.

"I doubt it Percy. It's just one clue and it came from a god that has been missing for so long. I'm afraid it will take more than that to find him."

"Did you not sense him with your senjutsu?" Silena asked as Naruto shook his hand lightly.

"I felt something very briefly, it lasted a second but I could have sworn I felt a power signature spike to the level of a god. I tried to focus on it but it disappeared as quick as it came."

"How did he manage to get something this size and powerful to help us though?"" Percy asked. "I mean no offence to Pan but he was just a minor god wasn't he and has been missing for so long?"

"Isn't he Percy. He not dead or faded," Grover said with a serious tone which was very unfamiliar on him.

"He is the God of the Wild therefore animals of all shapes and sized fall under him. It could of been the boar or it could have been an elephant, a lion, a Pegasus, anything. I don't think he was really going to be picky with what he chose."

"Well at least now we have a slight idea where he might be right?" Silena piped up. After all for him to have been speaking to you like that he must have been kind of close."

"Yeah he must be. If it was not for the current quest I would be looking all over New Mexico right now to try and follow the clues or see if I can get a feel to him like I did earlier."

"You can do that another time," Zoe responded as she raised her voice. "For now Lady Artemis is off more importance and we only have a few days left."

"Right," Grover said as Naruto get checking behind them while Luna padded next to them.

"How long do you think it will take for those skeletons to find us?" Thalia asked as she looked behind them as well.

"Not for a while," Naruto answered. "They did get smashed into multiple pieces so it might take them a while to put themselves together. Plus the speed we are going at is putting plenty of distance between us."

"We still need to think of a way to destroy them. How exactly do we kill something that is already dead?"

"I'll let you know when I figure that out. Maybe we can trap them some way. We might not exactly be killing them but they will be stuck and can't go after us after that," he said as he made a clone and sent it into the tree's to hide.

"What's the clone for?" Silena asked as her eyebrow rose at him, wondering what he was doing.

"Keeping a clone stationed here as lookout, that way when the skeletons to appear he can disperse and let me know just how far away from them we are."

They nodded in understand and realized it was a good idea. That way when they did appear they could begin moving again and try to put more distance between them.

The group then fell into silence as the only sound that could be heard were the heavy footsteps of the boar as it trudged against the ground.

They rode the boar all day until sunset when they all fell the boar was beginning to slow down. Even magical boars had their limits. Behind them the mountains had completely disappeared and they knew they were very far out of New Mexico and had been for the last few hours.

"We must have covered hundreds of miles, maybe even a thousand," Percy said as he rubbed his eyes, signalling that he was getting tired. Not that anyone could blame him since everyone but Naruto was feeling the same.

As night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and began lapping up the muddy water letting its grunt be heard as its mouth tipped into the water. It then moved over towards a cactus and ripped it form the ground and ate the thing whole.

"This is far as he will take us. We best get off now before it turns angry on us again," Grover persuaded as everyone slowly and careful got off the boar and took a few steps away from the big creature.

When they did the boar finished what it was eating and then walked away back the way it came, crushing anything that was in its way. They stood there watching it leave until it eventually disappeared from sight.

"What now?" Silena asked as Thalia pointed across a small dirt road and towards an a few old buildings that look ready to fall apart. A boarded-up house, a taco shop and a white stucco post office with a sign that said 'GILA CLAW, ARIZONA' hanging crooked above the door.

"I doubt we will find a car here," Thalia mumbled as everyone nodded in agreement. The place looked ready to fall apart. "I don't suppose you have another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover who was sniffing the wind was looking nervous. He fished out a few acorns form his pockets and threw them into the sand and began playing his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to anyone, not even to Zoe.

When he stopped playing he leaned down to look at the acorns and had a worried expression on his face.

"Everything already there Grover?"

"That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left acorn that looked smaller than the rest of them, "that's trouble."

"A monster?" Thalia asked.

Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. It holds some kind of significance," he said as he pointed over towards an old looking junkyard a little to the left of the old buildings.

"I say we tackle it tomorrow. I think we should probably get some rest for now. It's been a long day and my butts killing me from sitting on that boar all day," Naruto said as everyone muttered in agreement as they rubbed theirs hides.

Deciding that they were good where they were since there was no one for miles, the group camped under the stars as they set up a small camp fire thanks to Naruto's fire jutsu and got their sleeping bags out.

"Urm guys," Percy said as he got everyone's attention. "I don't have a sleeping bag."

Everyone stared at him not saying anything remembering that he did not exactly have the right equipment with him due to joining the quest late. A few moments later Zoe began muttering things about stupid boys and quickly got into her sleeping bag, slipping her shoes off and putting them beside her.

"Here you can take mine Percy," Silena said as she threw him her baby pink sleeping bag. Percy looked at it as if she was being serious and got hands on her hips in response.

"It's that or none at all," she said making him suck up his pride and use the pink sleeping bag.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Thalia asked as she got in her blue sleeping bag and saw Silena chuckle.

She walked over to Naruto who was already in his orange sleeping bag and maneuvered her way in. It ended with Naruto on the bottom and Silena lying on top of him, not that he minded.

"How bold," Thalia said as Percy and Grover blushed at the display while Zoe rolled her eyes. Luna happily slept beside them and had her head on the ground, already falling into a peaceful slumber.

"Comfy?" Naruto asked as Silena nodded happily and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Very," she said back to him as she gave him a peck on the cheek before she titled her head to look up at the night sky.

"There's not many star's in the sky," she said with a frown as Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers.

"There use to be far more," Zoe answered to their surprise. "But then man came along and began polluting the world. Now most of the stars have been blocked out thanks to men's work in light pollution."

"You talk like you're not human," Percy said.

"I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"

"Beats me. I'm a born and raised city boy, not a country gal like you," he said making a few snicker come from everyone while Zoe crossed her arms and gave him a mild glare.

Grover sighed. He was still looking up at the stars like he was thinking about the light pollution problem. "If only Pan was here, he would set thing right."

"I just realized," Silena said breaking the silence. "It's nearly Christmas."

A round of surprised look appeared on everyone faces and saw she had a point. "Oh yeah. Doubt we will do much Christmassy stuff thank to the quest," Percy said.

"Got any plans this year?" Thalia asked since she knew she did not have any. Plus it was her 16th birthday coming up in a few days so she had that to look forward to as well.

"No my dad will be away with his new girlfriend so I was thinking off just going to camp for Christmas this year," she spoke up before looking at Naruto.

"Maybe if we get permission from Mr D again, we can go spend Christmas in Wave Country with Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari," she said making Naruto have a big smile on his face.

"That does sound nice plus we did say we would visit in the future."

"Are you guys up for going back again?" Silena asked as Thalia and Grover gave them a thumbs up though Percy shook his head, saying he would be with Sally again which was fair enough.

Zoe looked a little awkward as these plan were getting made. Though she did wonder what the Elemental Nation was like since she had never been.

The group kept talking for another half an hour until they began to drift off to sleep. Before they could however and loud rumbling came from the left of them.

When they looked over they saw a large limo was making their way towards them. It was easily big enough to fit an entire cabins like the Apollo or Hermes cabins together.

As it pulled up everyone got out of their sleeping bags and stood up as the door got pushed open. When it did everyone scowled and had their weapons out as Ares stepped out of the limo and looked at them all with a bored expression.

"Evening kiddies," he said as he cracked his shoulder joints.

"Oh great, what do you want ass clown," Naruto and Percy both said while the others looked at them as if they had a death wish. In front of them Ares scowled at them and his large sword appeared on his back.

" At ease puny demi gods. While I'd like to take your head for a trophy, someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."

"Calling yourself a lady now? You don't really look the part," Naruto said as Ares grew red in the face.

"Then again we all know he doesn't have anything between his legs," Percy added making a few more snickers get heard and Ares face to get redder.

Their teasing was pissing Ares off and made the God of War draw his sword form his back. When he was about to take a swing at Percy a delicate and girly cough could be heard from inside the limo. When he heard it Ares calmed down a tad and slammed his fist on top of the limo, making a large dent form on the side of it.

"Be lucky that she is here or I would tear you all a new one."

"Who is here?" Thalia asked.

"Oh I she does not want to most of you. Particularly not her." He jutted his chin toward Zoe who glared at him. "She wants to see these two."

He pointed his sword at Naruto and Silena who each looked a little surprised and both wondering who wanted to meet them.

"Get inside, brats," he said. "And mind your manners. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."

He leaned on the open door and motioned for them both to go in.

They looked at each other before they took slow steps towards the limo. Ares sneered at Naruto as he walked past him while keeping his sword aimed at the others in the group, making sure they stayed where he could see him.

Stepping inside Naruto recoiled a little and scrunched up his face when a heavy dose of perfume hit him like a tonne of bricks. He was use to the perfume smell due to being inside the Aphrodite cabin on multiple occasions but this time it was a lot more pungent. He had to take a quick gasp of air from outside before he braved going completely inside.

As he took his seat and waited for Silena to take her seat he looked up and quickly felt his jaw completely drop of his face. If it was anything like a cartoon he would have looked like a love struck idiot.

The woman in front of him was nothing short of a perfect example of a beautiful woman.

She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was spotless and had light make up which only enhanced her beauty and her eyes were the like Kaleidoscope. She was lightly tanned and had a beautiful smile on her face.

When Silena got in she looked towards the woman in front of her and an enormous smile appeared on her face and practically lunged forwards.

"MAMA!" she said lunged forward and hugged the woman tightly which got a soft and beautiful giggle in response as the now revealed Aphrodite kissed the top of her head and nuzzled into her daughter long hair.

"_Holy crap that Silena mom,"_ he thought as he watched the two embrace.

"Ooohhh you look so beautiful. Look at you, you are such a young woman now," Aphrodite said as she cupped her daughters face in her hands and nuzzled her daughter nose with her own making Silena laugh and hug her mother again.

While Naruto had heard multiple stories about Aphrodite and what she was like, he had to give her credit on one thing. She genuinely loved her children if what he was seeing in front of him was real.

As the broke apart she turned her attention to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki how lovely to finally meet you. Your are more handsome in person," she said making him blush as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before pulling out a mirror.

"Hold this please," she said as she gave him the mirror and leaned in as she pulled out a stick of lipstick.

"Urm okay," he said as Aphrodite and Silena began talking about the colour of lipstick that she was using. He felt a little awkward as the two girls talked about gods know what kind of accessories and found himself looking around the limo to keep him busy.

From outside he could here Ares chuckling. It made him feel angry that the God of Asses was listening in on their conversation. However quickly he smirked as he put up a silencing seal around the limo.

"_That'll teach him," _he thought when he saw Ares turning around and wondering why he could not hear anything all of a sudden and the two girls were none the wiser.

"Now mama why are you here?" Silena asked as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

"Can't a mother just come and see how her favorite daughters doing?" she asked innocently as Silena fought the urge to grin at being the favorite.

"You could but you could have done that before or after the quest ,"she said as Aphrodite leaned back while still doing her lipstick.

"Little higher dear," she said to Naruto as he quickly complied.

"Well perhaps there is more and some of it does have to do with the quest I will admit despite how much I don't want to help," she said as she looked at Naruto. "I'm sorry sweetie but your mother and I really don't get along most of the time."

"That's okay I guess. She doesn't have much to say about you either," he said being honest.

"Even after I found out that you existed and that Artemis was your mother I wanted to make peace with her since she had finally got laid. But did she accept? No she did not. She can be very stuck up some times."

She leaned over and pinched his cheek with her well manicured hands. "But you are just so adorable and handsome. My little Lena is so lucky that she got you before anyone else did. Though I may have helped you there."

"You made us fall in love?" both asked a little frightened at what the answer would be. They hoped that Silena's mother was not the only reason they were in love with one another. Aphrodite laughed and shook her head.

"No dears I just helped push you. I can't create love, I can only nurture it. It had to of been there beforehand like a crush. I just watered it like a plant and it slowly grew and bloomed."

That made them relax a bit but kept up with the questions. Naruto could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. He wondered why he felt so nervous around this goddess. Was it because he was aware of the vindictive streak that his mother had told him about or was it just because this was his girlfriends mother.

"So you said your here because of the quest?" Naruto asked as Aphrodite nodded before putting away her lipstick and now getting out a small tube of eyeliner.

"That's right. I figured since Apollo gave you a helping hand earlier it's only fair that I give you one as well. The junkyard across the road. You have seen it correct?" She asked as both nodded their heads.

"Good because that is no ordinary junkyard. It is one of my husband's junkyards," she told them as Naruto and Silena took a quick peek out the window and looked at the junkyard.

"So that's why Grover told us it would be a challenge," they both muttered before turning back to Aphrodite.

"Yes well my husband Hephaestus places many of his old inventions, scraps and faulty machines in that junkyard therefore it can be a very hazardous place. I'm warning you now that it could be very easy for someone to die in there."

Both demi gods gulped as their hands unconsciously slipped into one another hands.

"So any advice for us then?" Silena asked as her nerves about the junkyard got heavier.

"Only one. Don't take anything and certainly do not steel anything either. If you do I can't promise that there won't be loses."

Both nodded as Aphrodite leaned back and smiled as her eyes trailed down their forms and noticed their hands were holding one another. She let out a small squeal of delight.

"Oh you to are so adorable. It's why you are one of my favorite couples. Right up there with Percabeth," she said as both looked at her oddly.

"Percabeth?"

"Percy and Annabeth of course. Those too like each other bad. It makes me want to rip my hair out most of the time. Why can't they be more open like you two," she muttered as she shook her head.

"What are we then?" Silena asked.

"That's easy silly. Narlena of course," the goddess said as both sweat dropped.

'_That's the best she could come up with?'_ they both thought as they heard a knocked on the window from Ares.

"Ahh looks like he is getting impatient. I guess this is where we must part. Though I would like a quick word with you Naruto," she said looking towards Naruto before turning to her daughter. The two embraced and Aphrodite said soothing and heart warming words to her as she kissed her cheek.

Silena said her goodbyes to her mother before exiting the car before it slammed shut again. She turned to look at Naruto who gulped a little at being left alone with the Love Goddess.

"No need to be nervous dear. I just need to ask you a question," she said as he leaned towards him. "Do you have good intention to my daughter?"

He could see that she was being serious and that right now was not the time to joke around. His first response was nodding to her question before speaking.

"Yes, I mean I do of course. I love her," he said as Aphrodite nodded and motioned for him to continue. "She light ups everything for me. Just being around her makes me happy, kind of like my own portable sun. There is not a thing I don't like about her."

"I love that she is so strong, so smart and thoughtful, that she doesn't not take crap from anyone and will stand up for her friends. She knows when to be gentle and went to push back."

"Hmm good answer," the love goddess said as she wiped away a tear from her eyes. "Normally it's my children that do the heart breaking but my Silena is so different feom my other children. She has a strength in her that the others don't seem to posses and one I wish people would see more off. It's well known that most think my children are weak but my dear daughter is proving them otherwise. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

She then leaned forwards and her lips were inches away from his ear as her hair tickled his nose.

"But do know this. Break her heart I will break you in so many ways that it will make even Zeus cry out for his mother," she whispered which sent chills down his spine. "Sometimes I may be heartless but I love my children with all my heart and I will hurt those who dares to hurt them. Why do you think I dislike your mother and the hunter so much."

"Remember this warning and we will never have a problem," she said before leaning away and the quickly returned to her normal self. She checked the time and saw it was 10:30 and gasped. "Oh my I am going to be late for my dinner reservation. I'm afraid we will have to part here."

Naruto nodded his head still feeling the effect of what she just said to him. He understood why many were so frightened of her and for good reason.

He was about to open the car door but saw Ares was muttering to himself and stroking his sword as if it was his first love.

He looked at the God of War and then to Goddess of Love who was now fixing her hair. His thoughts went back to an old question he wondered about the love Goddess and he wanted to hear her reasoning on a certain topic.

"Let me ask you a question," he asked getting her attention back to him. "I think I should be allowed a question after that frightening experience."

"Hmmâ€¦.Very well but make it quick," she said.

Naruto took a deep breath before he asked "Why Ares?"

"Why Ares what?"

"Why do you do these things with Ares when he it's obviously all he does is use you for sex. Can't you see that he has no real feeling for you? You do have a husband you know who apparently does have some genuine feelings for you."

"I think that is a little obvious. He is not exactly the best looker and Ares fulfills my needs."

He frowned we at how quickly she was dismissing it.

"I thought you were the goddess of Love, not the goddess of Lust. By the looks of things you really don't understand what love is if you think Ares of all people actually loves you."

That made her stop as she took the brush away from her hair. "I think you are forgetting who you are talking too demi god."

"I'm only telling the truth," he said using his sudden confidence before it quickly left him. "During the quest for the bolt he openly said all he wants from you is sex, nothing more nothing less."

"We have had this arrangement for years. We date and leave Hephaestus to his workshop. It's obvious he care more about his machines then he does me. Plus it's so hard to love someone who looks the way he does."

"I thought love was about the person inside, not the outside. You're basing everything on his appearance. Answer me honestly IS Hephaestus a good guy? List some of his good qualities."

Aphrodite looked at him and raised an eyebrow but answered the question. "I will admit he is sweet at times and he makes me wonderful gifts. He can be quite thoughtful and is quite intelligent. He is hard to talk to though."

"So if he looked moreâ€¦.handsome you would make a real go at your marriage with him?" he asked as Aphrodite bit her lip but nodded.

"Lady Aphrodite can I ask have you ever tried to alter his body?" He asked as he saw her confused expression. "You can change your body features right?" He got a nod in response.

"Well have you ever tried to alter the appearance of another person. Use your power to fix his disfigurement," he asked and he got his answer when he got a wide eyed look from the Love Goddess. "I guess not."

"I never thought about it like that before," she said as a thoughtful look appeared on her face.

"Look I am certainly no expert on Love but it's just I have heard and read about the things that you and Ares have done to Hephaestus in the past. It's kind of makes sense why he is bitter to you both and to everyone else."

"I love Silena and I feel happy when I am around her. Is that how you feel when you are around Ares?" He asked before giving her a polite good bye, a quick bow and hastily leaving the limo.

"Gods please don't kill me," was all he was thinking as he left the limo. He turned around to look at Ares and grinned when he gave Ares the bird.

In response Ares glared and growled at him, wanting nothing more than to burn the worthless demi god into nothing but ash but then he would have to deal with his damn family. They were too troublesome and he learnt the hard way on multiple occasions what happened when you messed up.

From inside the limo Aphrodite bit her lip and looked out the window as thoughts raced around in her head as she contemplated over the discussion she just had with the strange demi god and daughters boyfriend.

"You ready to go beautiful?" she heard as Ares took his seat beside her and placed his hand on her things and began rubbing it in circular motions. "Maybe we could skip the reservations and get right to the good stuff."

As he spoke Aphrodite stared at him and thought over what Naruto had told her about Ares only using her for sex and his own personal pleasure. His grin got bigger as his other hand began to move towards one of her straps.

Before he could pull it down though a sharp whack on his hand made him recoil his hand. "Ow what was that for?" he asked as the goddesses slapped his hand with her own.

"Hmm I'm not in the mood anymore. I'm going home so you will have to go play with yourself," she said as Ares looked at her in disbelief.

"But we had plans?"

"Plans change," was all she said before she disappeared in a puff of perfume that made Ares wrinkle his nose and sit alone in the limo.

Ares sat there in silence before he growled and punched one of the door, making the door go flying off the car.

"That damn brat gain. He said something I bet. Gods one day I will kill that kid and that stupid family of mine won't stop me," he said as he punched a hole in the bottom of the limo before he took off in a fire induced teleport.

Back at the camp Naruto got back into his sleeping bag and felt Silena wriggle back on top of him as she placed her head back on his chest while his arms wrapped around her waist.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Silena asked, hoping that it was nothing to bad.

"â€¦.Your mom frightens the hell out of me," was all he said instantly making her laugh while the others in the group all looked at them in confusion, wondering what was so funny.

* * *

**Chapter 12 Completed**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"So how do we get out of here?" Percy asked as Riptide was held firmly in his hands in its pen form, ready to defend himself if necessary.

They woke up early due to Naruto's clone dispersing and waking Naruto up. They found quickly discovered that the skeletons were making their way towards them and were only a few hours away. If they wanted to put some distance between them then they had to get moving now.

"That way," Zoe said. "That is west."

"How can you tell?"

"Ursa Major is in the north," Naruto said pointing to the sky which was still covered in the night sky due to only being 4:00am, "Which means that must be west."

Zoe nodded her head approvingly.

"The bear thing?" Percy asked as he looked up at the sky but couldn't see nay bear in the sky. Constellations were not one of his strong points.

Zoe looked offended. "Show some respect. It was a bear. A worthy opponent."

"Guys," Grover broke in. "Look!"

They all looked forward as they stared at the entrance of the junkyard. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.

"Damn that a lot of junk."

"Lord Hephaestus certainly doesn't get bored does he?" Thalia said as they began nearing the junkyard.

"Is that real gold?" Thalia asked as she pointed to a gold looking metal trophies sticking out of one of the piles along with a gold looking statue of a wolf.

Walking closely together with Zoe and Grover at the front, Percy and Silena in the middle and Naruto and Thalia at back; they trekked in, everyone with their weapons ready in case of emergency.

The piles of junk was enormous, easily the size of houses while some were even bigger than that. There were many various weapons lying on the ground like swords, axes, scythes, bows, mace. If the Ares cabin was here then they would of ad a field day.

And don't even get him started on how the Hephaestus cabin would react to seeing all of this stuff. It was an inventor's paradise.

"Stay together," Zoe reminded them. "We can't afford to lose any one in this place."

"And remember touch but don't take. We don't need a god making this quest more difficult than it already is," Naruto told them additionally using the advice Aphrodite gave him last night.

"You smell anything out of place girl?" he asked Luna who shook her head negatively as they continued on with Zoe leading the way. Though it was hard to smell anything when the place just smelt like oil and grease.

From the side though a small purple vine like tentacle slithered out of an old outdated over. It swirled around in the air for a few moments before it coiled back and slowly its whole body began moving along the ground, trailing behind the group in secret.

"Wow look at this," Grover said as he raced down a small hill, all the while tripping over bronze coils and golden plates that made the others wince for him. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"

Zoe leaned over and looked it over as her hand traced over it. "It looks like an older model of bows that we use to use. The string was not as strong but it could change shape," she said as she pressed down on one of the vine that decorated it.

Grover yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword!"

"The transformation was fine but it was rejected due to not have the same feature as that pen of his. Once lost, it didn't come back light it was suppose to so they were scrapped and new models were brought in."

"Drop it and leave it," she told him as she began to walk.

"But-"

"It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard."

From across the area Naruto was leaned over a small out used fountain with small cherubs decorating the top of it. It was made out of bronze and had old murky water inside that was barely visible. He could see small glitters at the bottoms and put his hand in.

When he pulled ut he saw he had drachma's big and small that looked like they had been here a while if the condition they in was any indication.

But there was one coin that he did have to take a moment to recognise since it was defiantly not a drachma. It was made of gold but the symbols were different. Is that Latin he thought since he recognise a few of the words from Latin class he had back at school when Mr Brunner was still teaching them and before the whole demi god stuff appeared. In the centre of the coin was a man with reefs around his head.

He looked around the junkyard and he began to notice a few more roman stuff that he recognised from history lesson and museum trips. An odd shield, a cracked sword, broken helmet.

"What's got you looking so thoughtful?" Silena asked while Luna appeared beside her and looked up at Naruto with curious eyes as well.

"Nothing really. I'm just wondering why there is so many roman stuff in this junkyard. Seems odd for a Greek god to have them in his junkyard," he said holding the coin out to her.

She took in her hands and looked surprised before she shrugged. "Probably just something that got lost and just ended up here through unusual means. It happens," she said as Naruto nodded his head.

Though behind them Zoe had heard what they were saying and looked away as she hid the worry on her face. If they saw her look then they would know that she was hiding more than just who the genera laws.

"This place makes me uneasy," Thalia said as she brought her shield close to her body and was gripping her spear in a firm grip. The place gave her an eerie sensation that was mimicked by everyone else in the group. It felt like someone was watching them as the old broken statues looked as if they were looking at them.

If it wasn't for her fear of height, then creepy statues would be next on the list of fears.

"You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" Percy joked and just got a hard look from Thalia in return.

"Zoe and Naruto are right, Percy. Things get thrown away here for a reason. Now come on, let's get across the yard."

As the group huddled back together after having a little look around the junkyard they began to make their way over to the exit which was just over some small hills made of junk.

They climbed over them while trying to keep a steady balance, with the loose pieces of metals and the cracked home appliances making it difficult to manoeuvre at a fast pace.

Above them Zoe was climbing at the front and brought her right foot onto an old baking tray but as soon as she did it cracked and the hunter lost her balance.

Before she could let out a sound from her mouth and feel the air rushing past her as she fell since she was around fifty feet up, she felt a strong pair of arms grab her and steady her. She looked up to see a concerned pair of blue and silver eyes.

_'Pretty,'_ she thought before she quickly kicked those thoughts out of her head.

Thank you for catching me she said in a hushed tone and tried to ignore the amused looks of Silena, Percy and Thalia.

"No problem. I can't let my big sis fall to her death now can I?" he said with a fox like grin before she ducked a swipe from her extended hand.

"Don't call me that," she said to him as she wriggled out of his grasp and began climbing again. Naruto only chuckled as he slowly began to crack away at the huntress's ironclad defence and followed after her.

Behind them three of their friends were looking at them oddly. I have a weird sense of dÃ©jÃ vu they all though since it reminded them of another brother and sister duo.

From his palace Apollo sneezed. "Woh someone must be talking or thinking about me. I wonder if their hot?" he said as Hermes looked at him as if he was crazy before they returned to search for their lost sister.

After climbing multiple hills of junk and after a few near falls to their death, two of which belong to a certain satyr friend of theirs they eventually made it over the hills and found themselves looking towards the exit to the junkyard which was about quarter of a mile away from them.

Though when they began walking they all noticed that in ten separate locations were ten rusted and broken automatons. One was missing its right arm, another was missing a head while another was missing its bottom half all together.

"Automatons, early models by the looks of it. It's best to stay away from them," Zoe told them as the group began walking down the middle, intent on staying away from the potentially dangerous automatons.

"Glad that over with," Percy said as they neared the exit until they all heard loud noises coming from behind them and the sound of metal being dropped on the ground.

"You just had to jinx it didn't you?" Thalia said to him puffing out her cheeks like a ten year old. Percy scratched the back of his head as they all turned around to see what made that loud noise.

As they all turned around they all saw the eyes of the various automatons were now all glowing as gears could be heard beinging to turn and creaking metallic sounds echoed through the junkyard.

"Oh that's not good," Grover muttered as he gulped and got his flute out.

Around the junkyard the ten automatons that were scraped here turn on and came to life as their metallic limbs slowly began moving. Their heads all turned to face them and slowly began to turn their whole bodies in their direction.

"Who took something? We told you not to steal anything and take it out of the junkyard," Zoe said looking at everyone with an accusing stare.

"Not me," Percy said as he put his hands up as everyone else did the same.

"Check your bodies. Make sure nothing got caught on you by accident," Naruto told them all as everyone began looking themselves over.

"I'm clean," Naruto said after checking himself over.

"Same here. I have nothing on me," Thalia added as Percy and Silena said the same thing a moment lady.

"Oh no," Grover said as everyone turned to look at him. He lifted up his hoof and they could see that on bottom was a piece of gum that had got stuck to his hoof and on the gum was a small bronze coin.

"Oh that's just bad luck," Silena muttered knowing that is was not Grover fault that he got a coin stuck to his hoof. It was just a very unfortunate coincidence.

"We run now," Zoe said but when she turned around she cursed. Everyone looked behind them and saw a group of automatons had appeared and were blocking their path.

"They have us cornered," Percy told everyone as riptide was pointed outwards towards the machines.

"What do we do? They look different from the ones used at camp," Thalia asked as she looked over at Zoe.

"Aim for their chest. The light you see is the power core. Destroy that and the automatons will cease functioning. But don't let it fall on you either. It falls on you, you get crushed."

"Everyone stay in at least pairs and don't get separated," Naruto told them all as everyone nodded and broke into pairs while Luna growled and jumped on one of the automatons. She ripped its arm off easily with her strong jaw and threw the arm away. Her mouth then grabbed the power core and ripped it out.

"Do it just like Luna," Naruto said as he proudly watched Luna tare into another Automaton before each group engaged a pair of automatons.

Thalia stood back to back with Zoe as Thalia deflected a large sword away from her with her shield and parried into the automaton. Her spear cracked with lightning as she jabbed the spear towards its chest.

The spear went through and the automaton ceased functioning and fell to the ground. Thalia and Zoe both had to jump out of the way so that it didn't fall on them.

As she rolled on the ground Zoe took an arrow out of her quiver and began climbing one of the automatons.

His hands came up the air to try and get her off but Zoe used her superior agility to manoeuvre out of the way. She grabbed hold of the machines shoulder and hoisted herself up from behind and stood on its shoulder. With the arrow in hand she jabbed the arrow into both its eyes, destroying its artificial sense of sight.

In response it began to spin around madly with its arms flaying around at fifty miles an hour. Zoe jumped forward and rolled on the ground before she shot an arrow with her bow and it pierced the machines chest. She watched it fall to the ground as she stood back to back with Thalia.

"Keep my back covered Grace."

"Back at you Nightshade," they both said before engaging the other automatons that were coming forward towards them.

Over with Percy and Grover, Grover was playing his flute as weeds and vines began sprouting from the ground and were tangling up the automatons legs, causing them to stop where they were going for a few moments each time.

"They're getting a little too close," Grover said as he climbed up one of the junk piles. Over to his right Percy knocked one of the swords away and ducked a punch for man automaton before slicing the leg of one of the machines.

When it went down onto one knee, he stabbed it right in the chest with riptide and toppled it over with a loud thud sound ringing through the air.

"Woh no it's too close," he heard Grover call and looked over to see two automatons about to take a swing at Grover.

As fast as he could go Percy shot forward and cut off one of the machines arms and watched as it fell to the ground. Not allowing the automaton to draw its over sword from its side, Percy cut of the machines head before stabbing it right in the chest just like earlier and watched at ceased to function and fall to the ground just like the others.

When he turned around he went pale when he saw the other automaton take the swing at Grover who only had a rusty old shield that he had picked up from the junk pile and use to defend himself with.

Grover braced himself for impact but instead a loud growl ripped through the air. Both Grover and Percy turned to their right and saw Luna rip through the air and sink its teeth into the automatons neck and used enough force to force it to the ground.

"Alright Luna," Grover called out as Luna bit its head off while Percy appeared next to it and stabbed it in the chest, watching it power down as he did.

"Good girl," Percy said patting her head as Luan just nodded her large head at him as if telling him that she was happy to do so. They heard more loud footsteps and they saw three more automatons appeared out of junk piles and begin to make their way towards them.

"I use to like watching terminator but I think this is going to make me sick of it," Percy muttered before bringing Riptide up and charging forward with Luna running next to him as she tacked another Automaton while Grover used it flutes to make more vines and weeds to halt their movements.

As they were fighting together Naruto parried a automaton away from him with his the KubikiribÅ chÅ . The sword easily blocked the strike due to its large size and Naruto managed to push it back.

As the automaton stumbled he drew it high and sliced the automaton right down the middle, cutting it in half and shutting it down completely.

Behind him Silena cart wheeled away from an axe wielding automaton and kept dodging the strikes it was trying to land on her.

When a heavy strike missed her she grabbed a knife from her pocket and stuck in right in the centre of its chest where the light was. She then spun around on the spot and kicked the knife, pushing it further in and making the light go out.

"Remind you of a certain incident in a bandit camp two months ago," Silena asked him as they stood back to back with three automatons circling them.

"You and I have a very different memory of that day," he said chuckling before all three machines went to strike at the same time.

As both ducked Naruto made hand signs and fired a large blast on wind that was strong enough to make one stumble away and fall onto a pile of junk. Turning around he grabbed Silena arms as said girl grinned at him.

Using his strength he spun her around as Silena brought her legs out and kicked each of them in the chest until Naruto threw her in the air. She flipped gracefully in the air before landing on one of the automatons shoulders.

She drew out her bow and fired a point blank shot at the automaton, destroying its head as wires appeared out of it along with sparks that made her cover her eyes. She quickly jumped off its back and ran over and grabbed some rubber tubing.

She hooked the tubing onto a piece of metal that was dug firmly into the ground and pulled it as the automaton walked backwards. It caught on the tubing and Silena used all her strength to keep the tubing tight as the automaton fell backward and landed with a loud thud.

Naruto meanwhile easily dodged a spear jab at him as he formed a rasengan in his hand. Moving forward he got right up close with the machine and slammed the rasengan into its chest.

In response the automaton went sailing through the air and slammed through a wooden fence before it exploded from the sheer power that was thrusting into it.

As they walked back towards one another Naruto and Silena both saw one more automaton heading towards them with its sword raised high above it head. Getting back to back they both notched an arrow into their bows and fired simultaneously and watched as the two arrow pierced the light on its chest.

The automaton ceased to function and was now stuck in the position of it coming to kill them.

Around the junkyard Zoe was on top of a small junk made hill as she fired one last arrow into the chest of an automaton while Thalia pierced it from behind with her spear. She then whacked it with her shield as it topped to the ground and fell on its front.

The two girls took equally deep breaths as they each looked over at one another and simply gave each other a nod in thanks for watching each other's backs.

A little ways away from them Percy took riptide out of the chest of an automaton as wiped of some oil that got sprayed over it when he stabbed it in one of its legs. Grover hopped down from the junk pile he was standing on while Luna continued to rip the downed automaton into pieces.

"Okay girl I think you got him," Grover said gently pushing Luna's head away from the automaton as a sizzling sound came from the machine.

"I think we got all of them," Percy said as he looked around at the six automatons that lay defeated, dismembered and destroyed on the ground.

"I think we did some pretty good work," Grover said feeling oddly more confident now that the attacking robots had been dealt with.

Luan just nodded her head in response though wished she could remind them she took down half of them.

"Well that was not exactly what would you call," Naruto said as sealed his bow back into his arm while Silena put her bow back on her back along with the arrows that she removed from the automaton."

"Hmm," she hummed back at him before she leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

" Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you have just finished fighting a battle," she said making Naruto get a big cheesy grin on his face.

"I think you might have mentioned in once or twice in the past," he said as he ticked her stomach getting laughs from her as she tried to get away but he kept his grip on her tight, not letting up for a second.

"Mooouuhh you meanie," she said pouting before she leaned up and kissed him again and eased himself into her.

Naruto was about to close his eyes and enjoy the kiss when from the corner of his eye he saw a purple blur creep out from behind one of the automatons. He narrowed his eyes when he saw multiple small vine like arms appear above the automaton as it wriggled as it pushed itself up.

Before he could act out, the purple enigma suddenly shot high in the air and lunged at Silena who had her back turned to the creature.

"SILENA!" he shouted as he pushed her out of the way. He went to grab his hunting knife but a strong grip appeared on his chest. He felt his whole body go numb and cold, like it hand pins and needles in it.

He could hear Silena behind him scream out his name before his vision went all blurry. Then everything went black.

Silena meanwhile screaming like a banshee as she went ran forward and tried to pull this thing that had leeched itself to her boyfriend and tried to pull it off. When she did thought she found it was holding onto him like life depended on it and pulling it was like trying to move a car. It would not budge.

"SILENA!," Thalia shouted as she and the others all ran over to see Silena with a scared look on her face as she was tugging on something in front of Naruto.

It was only when they ran to the front did they see what she was screaming about and they all took a step back in shock while Zoe went as white as a snow. It looked like some kind plant that had a dark purple, almost black centre and had these light purple vine like tentacles squirming around it. They saw it had latched itself to Naruto right in the centre of his chest while another was wrapped around his neck.

"What the hell is that?" Grover asked as he, Thalia and Percy stepped forward while Luna appeared next to Naruto and licked his face with is tongue. Zoe however had not moved from her spot as a fearful look was on her face.

"I don't know," Silena replied. "It just came out of nowhere and tried to attack me. Naruto pushed me out the way but it grabbed him and he has been like this since," she said as she tried to keep herself together.

Everyone looked at Naruto's face and saw his eyes were completely glazed over, like no one was home. His entire body was still and not a sound was being made from him other than his slow breathing.

"Well we have to get it off him," Thalia said as she grabbed the plant creature and tried to yank at it. She tried for a good minute before realizing it was not coming off.

"Come and help me," she said as Grover and Percy all got involved and tried to yank it off their friend but still it didn't move.

"Black Mercy," Zoe said as the others turned to look at her. That thing is the black mercy but I don't understand why its here."

"What the hell is a Black Mercy?" Silena asked walking up to Zoe demanding that she explain what it was. For once Zoe happily complied.

"It's a plant like creature that was created in the early days of the gods. It was used as a means of physiological torture and death. Once the plant attached itself to a host nothing can remove it other than the person its attached too."

"But he is completely out of it. He's not even responding to us. How is he supposed to move," Thalia asked.

"When it attaches itself to a person it put them in a dream like state. It shows them their greatest desire, what they want most in the world and apparently it so powerful that it feels just like reality."

"The only way for it to come off is for Naruto to realize that he is not in a dream. He has to wake himself up."

"And if he doesn't manage to do that?" Grover asked dreading the answer.

"Then he will remain like that for the rest of his life. Eventually he will die of starvation and the creature will move on to find a new host," she said as everyone looked in horror while Silena gripped her fists tight as she tried not to cry.

"Why in the world would anyone make something so horrid?" Percy asked.

"Because Zeus wanted some kind of extreme punishment towards those that dared defy him and this was perfect for physiological warfare. Eventually though Hera voted that it be removed from the world and was imprisoned on Olympus. But since it's here then someone has let it out."

"We can't stay here," Zoe told them as she built her courage up in this rough time. "We have to leave here and continue with the quest."

"WE CAN'T JUST CONTINUE THE QUEST WITH HIM LIKE THIS!" Silena roared at Zoe as said girl took a step back before steeling her nerves

"You two," she said motioning to Percy and Grover. "Pick him up and put him on Luna's back," she said as Luna stood beside Naruto.

The two boys quickly picked him up and settled him on top of the large white wolf before the group began to quickly move away and leave the junkyard.

Silena walked right besides Naruto as she tried to stead his body while clutching one of his hands into hers.

"You have to be okay. You just have to," she whispered as the junkyard behind them disappeared and they trekked to find the nearest road.

* * *

**Dreamscape**

He wasn't sure where he was but he knew for sure that it was not in the middle of a junkyard.

"Where the heck am I?" he muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the room he was currently in. It was early morning from what he could tell and he was in a room that reminded him of the rooms back in the Elemental Nations.

He was resting in large bed with orange and black covers and around the room was scrolls half open and books lying around on the ground.

He felt his chest and looked down to see that nothing unusual or purple was attached to it which did make him feel a little better

He slowly began to sit up revealing that he was wearing a white shirt with black shorts and threw his legs to the side of the bed. He walked over towards the window and he threw the curtains open. When he did his legs nearly gave out when he saw a familiar village lying out in front of him.

"I'm in Konoha?" he said in shock and he took a few steps back. _"Oh gods why am I here. How am I here? I was in the middle of a quest," _he thought as he tripped over a pair of shorts that were lying on the ground.

A loud knock could be heard from behind as well as a woman voice but he was so shocked that he didn't notice it. The knocked happened again but this time it was more forceful.

"Naruto Namikaze you better be awake," the voice said again but again Naruto took no notice of it. At least he didn't until the door to the room came sailing off and was destroyed when it hit the wall. He whipped is head around and was about to grab a kunai that was nearby but again was left shocked when he saw who was standing at the door.

His mother Artemis.

"Mom?" He asked as he took in her appearance. Her hair was in a tied up ponytail that went down to the middle of her back and her attire was a long dress that stop just below her shins with an apron tied on the front. That and by her physical appearance he would of said she was in her mid thirties.

"Every day I have to haul you out of bed. Honestly you are too much like that uncle of yours," she said in a stern tone before it got wiped away when Naruto appeared in front of her and hugged the life out of her.

"How are you here?" he whispered as Artemis got a soft look on her face.

"Well what's this for?" she chuckled as she returned the hug. "Never too old to cuddle your old mom huh?"

"But you were captured. You were being held prisoner by a Titan. I was on a quest to find you. How?" He asked as Artemis got a confused look on her face before she laughed.

"You have been having more of those strange dreams again haven't you?" she said as she flicked his nose. "Honestly your imagination Naruto is too much sometimes. I wonder what goes on in that head of yours sometimes."

After a moment she kissed his cheek before beginning to walk out the door. "Come on breakfast is ready. Everyone's waiting for you," again she said as she left the room.

A dream he thought as he looked towards the bed before looking back towards the door. He then slapped himself to see if he felt anything.

His answer was a stinging pain on the cheek.

"What do I do? This has to be a dream right. But why does it feel so real and where is everyone?" He asked as a small part.

"Was I dreaming the whole time," he wondered to himself but that thought just seemed crazy. Or at least it should have been.

Putting on some civilian clothes he exited the room which he noticed said Naruto's room on it. He trekked down the stairs where the smell of pancakes tickled his nose and he could hear his mother humming in the kitchen.

She turned around to see him as she pointed towards the table. "Take your normal sat sweetie. Breakfast will be ready in a moment."

He just nodded and walk towards the table. However hallway there a small figure slammed into him and wrapped their arms around him as the sound of giggling could be heard.

"Big brother is sooooo lazy," a squeaky voice said as he looked down and saw what he could only describe as a miniature version of his mother. This little girl hugging him was no older than seven at most and was had his mothers hair and face but had his father's eyes. She wore a long yellow sundress and had a necklace of a moon around her neck.

"Brother?" He said which made the little girl laugh.

"Naru is funny. Sit next to me today," she said as she dragged him over and sat him next to her at the table while she held his hand and kept letting little giggles erupt from her.

"You have bed head again sweetie," a familiar voice said when he looked over to his side and now noticed that his grandmother was sitting there with them. She looked older, maybe in her forties but still breathtakingly beautiful as her eyes still had her familiar warmth n them.

"Gran?" he said as leaned and hugged his grandmother who happily returned the hug as she kissed the side of his head.

"Your right he is cuddly this morning," she said to Artemis who just smiled at the exchange.

"Iâ€¦.What are you doing here?" he asked as Hestia looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean? I come here every morning for breakfast. I have ever since you were born," she said in a teasing tone as she flicked his nose just like his mother had done earlier.

"Breakfast is up," Artemis said as she walked in with plates of pancakes in her hands and placed them all on the table. The smell made Naruto want to melt right there and then but stopped when he heard the back door open.

When he looked over he felt his entire body go numb and his eyes were welling up. Walking in was a man with golden hair just like him but much longer and with bang on the side and similar blue eyes. He wore the standard Jonin outfit but had a familiar white jacket with flames decorating the bottom of them.

"Dad?" He whispered as Minato Namikaze walked through the door with a Jonin unifrom wearing Apollo walking behind him with his usual playful smile on his face.

"Big sis I'm here for breakfast," he called out as a rag appeared and covered his face courtesy of his sister.

"Keep it down," she said to him before she leaned into Minato and the two shared a quick but loving kiss.

"Daddy," the little girl called as she hugged her father round the waist, prompting Minato to pick her up and kissed her cheeks repeatedly.

"Morning Leto princess," he said revealing the girls name which happened to be the same name as his grandmother on his mother's side.

He watched as his father turned his attention to him and patted him on the head as Apollo took a seat next to Hestia and quickly dug into some pancakes.

"You alright there Naruto? You look a little out of it?" Minato said seeing the nervous, shocked and awestruck face of his son.

"He's fine. He had another one of those crazy dreams of his," Artemis said as took her seat at the table. "Something about on a quest to save me after I was kidnapped," she said making the adults all chuckle.

Naruto didn't say anything since his mind was just trying to wrap around what had happening.

His mother was kidnapped and his father dead. That was the truth wasn't it?

"Well don't let your breakfast go cold Naruto. You don't want your mother kick you to the curb again," Minato teased before nervously chucking when he saw Artemis glaring at him.

As Naruto settled down he saw everyone was looking towards him, all with smiles on their faces as they waited for his response. His new little sister was smiling u pat him with big innocent eyes and his mother was giving him a beautiful smile.

He feltâ€¦..happy. He felt at peace. More so then he had in a very long time.

Picking up his fork and knife he gave them all a small smile.

"Okay."

* * *

**Chapter 13 Completed**

**The whole Black Mercy idea came from a Justice league episode that I watched and inspired this and the next chapter. Enjoy folks.**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW** 


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone. Sorry I have not been posting anything for the last two months but being back at uni and it being my last year I am just completely swamped with work to the point where I have not been able to write at all. Though now that its the end of November, its starting to slow down so I should be bale to gt back to writing soon.

To let everyone know I will be doing a big clean up with my stories. Meaning some of them may be taken down since I feel they are not up to snuff and I feel I could do so much better with them. Right now the only ones I am definantly considering being taken down is Dual Bending Warrior and Era of Lightning. Devils Dragon is also a potential since I am not happy how the story is turning out.

Prodigal and SOH however is safe so have no worries about them.

* * *

Chapter 14

The group had been walking for a good hour when the quest members finally stumbled upon a nearby road. It was only a dirt track road but it was the best alternative they could have hoped for.

"We continue west. We just follow Ursa Major and eventually we should get to our destination." Zoe said as she wiped a small bead of sweat from her head.

Behind her only a few nodded to her statement as Silena was continuing to stand beside Naruto and had her hand still clutched onto his. Thalia was on the other side since they needed to people to keep him steady while he rode on Luna's back.

The Black Mercy that was attached on his chest still clung tightly too him though it was barely moving. Only an odd spasm from time to time indicated to them that the plant thing was alive.

"The road heads west so we will follow along it," Zoe told them as they were about to keep moving until a bright light shined from beside them.

Once the light was gone a pickup truck lay on the road for them. Carefully and cautiously they walked towards it and Zoe was the first to spot a note taped to the steering wheel of the car. Hopping inside she read the note.

 _This will help you continue West. Find the old man at the sea to discover my sister locations. Trust in Naruto, he will get survive the Black Mercy. Stay Strong._

 _Apollo_

Zoe only nodded her head before she poked her head out of the car. "It's a gift from Apollo. It will help us along the way," she called as everyone nodded and began to pile onto the truck.

Grover got in the front with Zoe so that he could focus on his tracking spells while Thalia, Percy, Silena, Luna and the comatose Naruto got in the open back of the truck. They had to carry Naruto onto the truck and lay him sitting up, resting against the window to the front seats while Luna kept him steady by sitting in front of him.

Thalia knocked on the window, signaling they were ready to go and Zoe quickly took off down the road. Thankfully she was not out of control this time since she recognized she needed to be more careful with Naruto in the state that he was in.

"Do you think he can hear us at all?" Percy asked looking over at Naruto and Silena with said girl trying to look strong but was looking more and more broken as time went on.

"I don't know. I doubt it though since this thing is apparently too powerful with its illusion. It would probably take nothing short of a god to be able to speak to him."

"But this is Naruto. He can get out of this can't he? I mean look at everything he has done so far. He can't let some plant thing be the one to take him down." Percy muttered as Silena shook her head.

"All those times he was prepared. This time it's not the case. We don't know if he has the strength to get out of this." Thalia muttered sadly before she heard a growl come from Silena and Luna.

"He will get out of this. I will not let our future be reunited together by something like this. Not when we got my mother's blessing to be together."

"But who did send it though? If it was on Olympus then only a god or goddess could have been the one to release it and apparently most seem to like Naruto."

"I have an idea," Percy muttered angrily as everyone looked at him.

"Luke."

"No way, there is no way Luke could have snuck onto Olympus and taken something like that without anyone knowing. He is not that stupid."

"He did it with the bolt didn't he?" Percy said quickly shutting Thalia up since she could not think of a comeback for that one since it was true.

"What about the minor gods and goddesses? Lady Hestia did say some of the minor gods and goddesses were getting restless and their allegiance to Olympus was wearing thin due to the treatment of their children and to themselves."

"That would make sense," Thalia muttered as she thought it over and wondered about another enemy of Olympus that could have done the deed.

"What about the General? Could he off done it?" Thalia asked but everyone including Zoe who was listening in shook their heads

"The General is not stupid since him going to Olympus would have had him destroyed. There is no way he could face the might of Lord Zeus and the others Olympians alone. It would have been a death trap and he knows that."

"So our best guess is the minor gods or goddesses then?" Percy asked as everyone now nodded their heads.

"It's beginning to look that way, however there are so many minor gods and goddesses that it would be impossible to figure out whom. That and Naruto has only met a few and they all seem to like him other than Khione."

"Why Khione?" Zoe asked as she tried to keep her eyes on the road.

"She tried to ruin Christmas in New York last Christmas but Naruto fought and defeated her before getting punishment from Lady Hestia. Since then I don't think she has been his biggest fan."

"So is there anything we can do," Thalia asked. "Anything at all? There has to be something?" Unfortunately Zoe shook her head.

"All you can do is pray that he is strong enough to fight the Black Mercy. If not then he will be gone forever…"she said as Silena chocked back a sob and caressed Naruto face with her hand while the others looked on sadly.

"We should contact Chiron and Annabeth. Maybe they could help us." Thalia said as she took out a spray gun from her back pack along with a few drachmas. If there was someone that might be able to give them answer it was those two.

* * *

 **Naruto's Dreamscape**

Walking down the streets of Konoha was like nothing he had ever felt or expected from his old village. He was used to being hated, glared and pointed at but instead everyone smiled at him, said hello or just gave him a friendly wave.

During the whole day what he thought were memories were flooding through is head as he remembered his childhood with his mother and father, the birth of his little sister, his graduation and all the mission he went on.

 _'This is so….peaceful,'_ he thought to himself. _'Was it really all a dream?'_

"Naruto there you are." a voice called as he turned around to see Kakashi walking towards him with his usual Icha Icha book in his hand. "Come on everyone's waiting down at the training ground."

"What?" Naruto asked as Kakashi grabbed his shoulders and shunshined away and reappeared at the old training field he and team 7 use to train on. He was about to speak to Kakashi since for him it felt like two years since he saw him.

"Naruto, sensei what took you so long?" a familiar voice said as Sakura Haruno walked towards them with Sasuke Uchiha walking beside her with his arm around her.

"You long enough dope," Sasuke said but said it in an oddly cheerful voice that sounded so foreign to Naruto. "You're becoming as bad as sensei."

"Urmm I guess so," he said not sure how to answer to a cheerful Sasuke before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. He turned around this time and saw to his surprise Annabeth wearing Konoha shinobi training gear and the Konoha headband wrapped around her head.

"Annabeth?" he said as said blonde smiled up at him.

"Of course and now that I'm here you promised me training and that's just what we are going to do," she said grabbing his hand as she led them over towards the post. Behind her he saw Percy and Thalia who were both dressed in similar clothes each with a Konoha headband around their heads.

"Look I got the rotation part right but I just can't seem to get the power." Annabeth said as Naruto turned his attention back to her and saw she had a rubber ball in her hands and was making the air inside it spin at a fast rate though never popped.

"Rasengan? You're trying to master the Rasengan?"

"Of course, I have been for the last two weeks but I have been stuck on this part for three days. You said you would help me when we were at dinner last night remember?" she said as another sudden flood of memories returned to him which showed he was sitting round a table at the Akimichi barbeque restaurant and was with Annabeth, Percy, Thalia, Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto was confused like hell but he saw the pleading look from Annabeth which made him cave in like many times before.

"Okay let me see if I can help," he said as he watched her focus on the rubber ball.

They stayed like that for the next few hours as Annabeth tried to make it pop but was still unsuccessful. She had been close on two occasions but each time the power just was not enough to stretch the rubber enough to make the hole.

"So are you excited for this afternoon?" Annabeth asked as she wiped some sweat away from her head as Naruto watched Sasuke and Percy spar with Kakashi while Thalia and Sakura happily chatted away.

"Excited for what?" he asked as saw the surprise appear on her face.

"For what? you know what. Silena's back today from her mission today," she said as if trying to remind him. "You know been gone for two weeks to Snow Country, your girlfriend of a year. Ring any bells."

"Oh," was all he said. _'Silena is here too? Oh gods I hope she has some answers. I am so confused he though.'_

"Man you really are out of it today. That's what you get for not getting much sleep. Honestly you need to look after yourself better otherwise Aunt Artemis is going to give you the beating of a lifetime."

"Right…" was all he said before he began walking away.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I…I need to go see my dad," he told her before he took off at a quick speed and headed for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Hokage Tower

Naruto traveled through the tower until he arrived at his father's office. The secretary who had been there for as long as he could remember gave him a pleasant smile and motioned for him to go inside.

Pushing the door open Naruto looked inside to see his father sitting at his desk doing the dreaded paper work that all Kages seemed to hate more than anything in the world.

Looking up from his desk Minato smiled at his son and motioned for him to come forward. It was still just weird to see his father. He was dead and yet here he was in front of him; was this real because it sure felt like it.

They had spent that breakfast talking to one another though Naruto spent most of it just slack jawed because he just could not believe his father was sitting across him and eating pancakes while Artemis had to help feed Leto since she got syrup all over her face.

"Hey Naruto, something I can do for you?" he asked as put the pen he was using down to the side.

"Urm yeah I think so," Naruto asked since he didn't know where to start so he just started with something simple. "So…where is Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade. I haven't seen them around."

In response his father gave him a funny look as if Naruto just asked him a stupid question. "They took a vacation remember. Since it's their twenty-fifth anniversary they left for Hot Spring Country for a few weeks. They are back in a week."

 _'Holy shit their married?'_ he though since the Tsunade he remembered would not ever have gone out with the white haired pervert even if he was the last man of earth.

"Anything else?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at his son.

"Yeah actually…is there anything on the Akatsuki? Like where they are or has anyone seen them lately?" Naruto asked wanting to get information of the rogue group since he wanted to be prepared if they showed while he was in this confused state. However his answer from his father was the confused look on his father's face.

"Akatsuki? I'm sorry Naruto but I have never even heard of any person or a group by the name of the Akatsuki? Are they some kind of team I forgot about?" he said as he picked up a chart that had lists of teams that Konoha currently had and whether they were out on missions or currently in the village.

"No, no they are a rogue group. You know after the tailed beasts and want to rule the world. You know like the big Nine tailed fox that you sealed into my gut?" he told him but Minato looked at him oddly and then with a worried look.

He stood up and walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his forehead. "You don't feel warm. Are you okay Naruto. You're saying stuff that does not make any sense."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto said as he took a step back. "The tailed beasts, that's what they are after. How can you not know any of this?"

"Naruto?" Minato started. "The tailed beasts have been missing for years. The Nine Tailed Fox vanished nearly twenty years ago. No one has seen it since and most just assume that it somehow died. After all nothing lasts forever."

"Gone?" Naruto asked as Minato nodded his head.

"Man that dream you had must have really done a number on you. You seem a little out of it today and I think I am beginning to agree with your mother that you need more rest. You know you could use that imagination of yours to write books like Jiraiya."

Minato chuckled while Naruto's confusion was really getting to him and he felt like he was going insane.

"Come on it's about lunch time and I told your mother we would go get some Ichiraku's. You know what your mother is like when it comes to ramen and it about time she got her ramen fix," Minato said laughing which made Naruto chuckle weakly as well since it was kind of true.

Grabbing his sons shoulder, Minato flashed them out of the office and before Naruto could even say anything he found himself standing beside Ichiraku's.

"Your mother had me put a Hirashin seal on it since we go hear at least twice a week. It's just easier this way."

"Your darn right its easier like this," Artemis voice called out as the two Namikaze's found her already sitting on one of the stools with none other than Athena who was sitting on her left and Aphrodite who was on her right.

Leto meanwhile jumped of her seat and leapt into her brother's arms, giggling as Naruto smiled at her and ticked her stomach.

The two settled on a stool with Leto sitting on his lap as Minato struck up a conversation with his wife, sister in law and friend.

"Usual as always Naruto?" Ayame asked him as she appeared behind the counter and began making his usual pork ramen dish.

"Ayame!" Naruto called out happy to see the ramen waitress as said brown haired girl gave him a bright smile and stroked Leto's hair making the little girl smile up at her.

As Naruto and Leto played with one another as they waited for their ramen, Artemis broke away from the conversation with her husband and sister and hugged her son and daughter from behind and kissed the top of their heads.

"Love you both," she whispered as she settled her head on top of Naruto's. Leto stood up on her brother's lap and gave her mother a big kiss on the cheek, making Artemis laugh as the mother and daughter nuzzled their cheeks beside one another.

In his chest Naruto felt himself get warmer and when his mother looked at him with her smile and told him she loved him it made him feel this huge surge of happiness inside him. Minato was watching the scene with Athena and Aphrodite and were and were all smiling at the exchange.

"How about after this me and you go and spar with one another. It's been so long since we last sparred against one another and I want to make sure my baby isn't become a girly man like his father…" she said making a dark cloud form above her husband's head.

"Really?" he asked as Artemis nodded her head. He had wanted to spar against her for so long and he was happy that he finally had the chance, even if he was confused about what was going on.

"Sure I would love to," he said making Artemis beam at him before kissing his nose and taking the seat beside them as she began drawing with Leto on a piece of paper Ayame had given them.

Seeing his mother and apparent sister together and his father talking with his aunt and girlfriends mother made Naruto feel a sense of perfection. A real little family and since his first time waking up he could feel himself getting used to it.

After five minutes of just watching his mother and sister draw funny pictures with one another their ramen was up. All four Namikaze's sat in a row each with chopsticks in their hands.

"Let's dig in," they all said together and began devouring their ramen. Ayame and Teuchi quickly began to prepare the next batch.

"She knew what this family was like when it came to Ramen."

* * *

 **Real World**

The group of demi gods, huntress and satyr came to halt as their truck ran out of gas on the edge or a river that had Zoe cursing as she kicked the truck tire.

"No good Sun God. Give us more fuel!" she growled, but nothing happened which just made her growl.

"What do we do now?" Thalia asked as everyone got out of the truck since it was useless to continue onwards in it. Beside her Grover and Percy were scanning the area, looking for a way for them to travel.

The area they had stopped in was just Desert in all directions with occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there. The canyon was the only thing that stood out and the river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert; though from the side the canyon dropped completely.

"It might be best if we follow the stream," Percy suggested as Grover pointed out a small goat path.

"We won't be able to get Naruto and Luna along that goat path. It would be safer to go upstream," Silena suggested as Thalia and Zoe agreed though Thalia mainly because the height of the canyon was enough to make her stomach do flops.

They followed the path upstream for a good hour as one walked beside Luna with Naruto on her back as she helped to keep him steady. While she might not like him all that much, it was odd to her to see him in such a state since he was always so strong. Looking weak was not a look that suited him.

On the other side she noticed Silena wipe a few tears away as her left hand was gripping his hand tightly again. Though Zoe had no love for the daughter of Aphrodite she could see that she was struggling to keep it together with the idea that Naruto may not wake from this state.

It was heart break like that which pushed her to become an eternal maiden for a reason. She didn't want to experience heartbreak again.

"He will be fine." she muttered as Silena turned to look in her direction. "I'm sure she he will be out of it soon enough."

"Since when do you care?" Silena said bitterly.

"Since he is my ladies son I have to care."

"Tsk, that's just some bullshit reason. You never cared when you told him you would be happy when he died of old age or when he put you in your place for insulting Chiron and the other campers. Don't make some excuse because it won't work on me. I can see right through you huntresses."

"Really?" Zoe said not believing her. "Then by all means tell me what we are exactly?"

"Easy, a bunch of bullies who prey on insecure and heartbroken girls to join them and hurt people that don't see your way."

"We do it to benefit women everywhere. We put men in their place because we need to show them that we are strong and that we can put them in their place my any means necessary."

Silena chuckled. "You just say that because you and those other girls were all left heart broken by one guy and use them to base your opinion on other men. If you could just look past that cloud of hate you have put up you will see that a lot of men in the world are good people."

"All they do it look at you as if they're a piece of meat."

"And women do the same to men. It's human nature to lust over someone that catches your attention."

"You will never understand. And a daughter of that woman it's not surprising."

"Your right I won't even understand you hunters and hopefully I never will. The thought of killing innocent people simply because of their gender is just horrid. It's make you no better than the monsters that you hunt. It's a surprise anyone can tell the difference."

"Take that back," Zoe growled as she glared at Silena who sized the hunter up.

"It's no wonder Artemis keeps you around. It's because she pities you." Silena said as Zoe lunged at her and tackled her to the ground, making Luna try to steady herself and step away from the two girls.

Pinning Silena to the ground she landed a punch square in the jaw making Silena see stars for moment before her hands wrapped around Silena's neck.

"Take that back you bitch," Zoe said as Silena gasped for air as Zoe's grip tightened on her neck. Silena tried to wriggle out but Zoë's body was pinning her lower half to the ground. Her arms went up to get Zoe of her but found Zoe leaning away when she tried.

She actually felt a little fearful as she looked at the enraged eyes of Zoe Nightshade and noticed the others had finally noticed what was going on and went to intervene. However they were stopped when a light shined in front of them.

Neither girls noticed since Zoe was too angry and Silena's vision was beginning to blacken. Getting desperate Silena picked up rock that was next to hand and hit Zoe in the head with it, making her go down like a sack of potatoes while Silena could finally breathe again.

"She tried to kill me," Silena muttered as both she and Zoe steadily got back up with Zoe now sporting a jagged cut on the side of her head which was beginning to bleed.

As the two were about to go to blows both suddenly found themselves in a world of pain when a hand appeared on their ears and tugged them painfully.

"Ow, ow, ow," both said as they both sank to their knees and looked towards two figured who was pulling their ears. Both however gulped and felt feat build up inside of them when they saw Hestia and Rhea looking down at them with furious looks.

"That is enough," Hestia said in a deadly whisper and left neither of them with any room to answer back. The demi gods behind them gulped at the enraged face of the Hearth goddess before it softened when she looked towards her grandson.

"My boy," she said sadly as she let them go as she and Rhea stood in front of the glazed eyed Naruto.

"Is there anything you can do Mother?" She asked while the demi gods and satyr all went wide eyed and gulped, realizing who it was standing in front of them.

"I don't know. My blessing helps him fend of mental attack from those like your father but I don't think it will help him with this problem." she said as she tapped the Black Mercy before placing her hands on his head and closed her eyes.

"I will try and reach him. Hopefully I can give him a message that what he is seeing is not real." she said as Hestia nodded her thanks before turning back to the two girls who whimpered a bit on fear, even Zoe.

"My grandson is in such a weakened state and you two are acting like CHILDREN!" she said shouting out the last word to them. "Now is not the time for you to be fighting. How do you hope to rescue Artemis when you two are constantly bickering with one another?"

"I…I'm sorry Lady Hestia," both whispered, but Hestia took no notice of it.

"You," she said looking at Silena, "I know this is hard but you need to be strong for him and fighting with someone is not the way to help him. You two have you differences, but you do need to goad her." Silena looked down but nodded none the less.

"And you," she said now looking at Zoe. "I expected better from you Zoe. Artemis and I thought you and Naruto really could be good friends but you are proving to be extremely difficult about it."

"But…"

"But nothing; you are two thousand years old yet you remain to act like a spoilt child who dislikes the child being around. It's time for you to grow up and get past your hatred. He is not Heracles nor will he ever be like Heracles. I will not allow your hatred affect this quest for my daughter in law and niece."

"Kinda need some quiet time here," Rhea said making the Hestia go silent for a moment before she spoke again in a hushed tone.

"Go and get yourself cleaned up and have your injuries looked at," she said as she motioned for Thalia, Percy and Grover to come and heal them.

"Anything?" Hestia asked as she stood next to her mother who was breathing deep and slow breaths.

"He is in there and he not fully given himself. He heard me at least and hopefully it will give him what he needs to fight back against the Black Mercy."

Hestia nodded and before Rhea could start again thunder rumbled in the sky.

"Be quiet boy, I'm saving my great grandson." Rhea said in a serious tone, making the thunder rumble even more as a bolt of lightning struck a few meters from the side.

"Brother stop being so dramatic. He needs help," Hestia said but the thunder just got louder making mother and daughter growl angrily.

"Stupid baka," Hestia said wanting to scream at her little brother for being such a pompous and dramatic fool. Rhea just shook her head and tsked at her son.

"We should go before he torches the entire place." Rhea said with Hestia agreeing but walked over to the group.

"Take this," she said as she handed them a jar of Greek fire. "Once that thing is off him, you burn it until there's nothing left. Understood?" She told them with everyone nodding quickly.

Rhea then waved her hands as a couple of canoes appeared. "Use these to go up the steam. Son of Poseidon use your water abilities to move them up the river." she said to Percy who quickly nodded. He could do that.

"Good, good luck," Hestia said to them before she and Rhea disappeared.

"Wow," was all they could say a meeting the mother of the gods and experiencing the maternal, scary side of Hestia.

Getting in the canoes, Silena, Naruto and Thalia went in one while Zoe, Percy and Grover went in the other. Luna would run beside them on land. Both Silena and Zoe had healed some though Zoe now sported a pink scar on the side of head which you could see from a certain angle while Silena had bruises around her neck.

Both girls never looked at one another and were staying away for one another, much to the relief of everyone else.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in Dreamscape**

Naruto landed flat on his back as he groaned from getting his ass kicked for the fifth time in an hour. Above him a he could hear his mother laughing as she stood over him.

"Aww does my baby boy want me to take it easy on him?" she asked teasingly which made him pout at her.

"I'm not a baby and you just got lucky." he said as he stood up and quickly delivered a swift kick towards her, only for the kick to get blocked and for Naruto to get thrown on the ground again.

"This would be fairer if I could use weapons, jutsu or my sage mode…" he grumbled as Artemis sat beside him and stroked his hair.

"Stop growing up so quickly. It feels like only yesterday you were being pulled into the world and now here you are a young handsome man."

In response he just nuzzled into her hair as she tapped his nose, letting the silence from the field be the only sound they could hear.

From the side Leto was sitting under a tree and looked like she had dozed off while watching them. She was about to fall to the ground when Artemis appeared beside her and caught her, laughing as she picked her daughter up.

"I think I should take this one home," she said to Naruto who nodded and kissed Leto's head, making the little girl smile in her sleep.

"I should go, remember to be home by six for dinner." she said to him as Naruto nodded and watched as Artemis walked off with Leto, leaning her head on her shoulders.

When they disappeared from sight Naruto turned around only for him to fall on his butt when he saw the image of Rhea standing there with a worried look on her face. Her form was flickering and Naruto could see the scenery through her.

"Not…real," he heard her say but her voice was low and he could to hear it so well.

"What? I can't hear you," he said as he leaned in.

"It's…not…real," she said again though this time Naruto hear her. "Dream…you are…stuck…in…dream. Fight…it."

"It's a dream? Are you sure?" he asked since maybe this was just his mind playing tricks on him. This all felt so real, he wanted it to be real.

Before he could ask another question or Rhea could answer she disappeared, leaving a worried and very confused Naruto, standing in the middle of the training field.

He just stared at the spot where Rhea had been standing in both confusion and annoyance.

"Gahhhh," he said rubbing his head as he looked up at the sky. "I am so fucking confused. Is this real or not?" He asked the sky despite nothing happening. Anyone walking by would have thought he was having some kind of mental breakdown.

"I need to go and think. This just isn't making any sense to me anymore," he said before once again he jumped into the trees and ran away.

He raced along the tops of the building as he headed towards the Hokage Mountain. He could always feel a peace up on top of the Shodaime's head and he could have some quiet time to think. It was something right now he really needed.

" _It feels so real. I want it to be real but I really don't think any of this is real anymore,"_ he thought as he neared the Hokage monument.

As he ran he collided with someone who pounced on top of him and to his surprise slammed their lips into his.

 _"What the hell?"_ He thought at first before seeing familiar dark hair and blue eyes looking at him.

"I have missed you lover," Silena said as Naruto got a good look at her and had to admit shinobi clothing really suited her and showed off her figure. He was smiling coyly at him and he felt her hands go underneath his shirt.

"How about we go back to my place and we break in the bed again? I got a new one just before I left for the mission." She said whispering in his ear making shivers run up his spine.

For a moment he wanted to say yes, badly. But he remembered that he and Silena were going to wait. Silena would not rush into something like this, especially not in such a public place. Not the Silena he knew anyway.

"Get off," he said as he managed to push her off him, making the girl look at him in confusion and annoyance.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to claim what's your again," he said as she acted in a way that Naruto just did not recognize her in. He took a step back and he felt his resolve get stronger and stronger.

"This isn't real," he said firmly. As soon as he said it he was surprised to find his parents, Leto, Hestia, Apollo, all the demi gods from camp and the old shinobi gang all around him looking at him with happy smiles on their faces and were motioning for him to come with them.

"Come on Naruto lets go train together. Are flames of Youth will burn like a thousand suns."

"Hey dope let me kick your ass again."

"Looking good handsome. Come over and let have some fun."

"You want to go get some ramen sweetheart? We can talk if you want."

"Come on little nephew lighten up and join the party."

"Big Brother come and play with me."

"Naruto come and give your grandmother a hug."

"Naruto, want me to teach you more about seals."

"Stop it," Naruto whispered as he held his head as the voice got louder and found the sky above him was getting darker and redder.

"This isn't real. None of this is real," he kept saying over and over to himself and to his surprise he began to feel the ground shake and a large burst of smoke appear in front of the village. After a few moments a large furred arm shot out of the smoke and destroyed the south gate.

Standing in all its glory the Nine Tailed fox leered over the village as it let out a loud boom roar as loud screaming and shouting began to erupt from the entire village. His focus went towards the fox as he watched it begin to destroy the lead village and noticed everyone around him was now gone.

Turning back to the fox he watched as it completely destroyed the village with its nine tails crushing everything it touched.

He was about to rush forward but instead found himself knocked to the ground. Try to get up he then felt a foot plant itself on his chest and found Sasuke standing above him along with Itachi, Kisame, Luke, the General and a man hidden in shadows with purple ripple like eyes.

"You really are pathetic. You are nothing more then dirt beneath my feet." Sasuke said but he noticed it was not Sasuke's voice that was talking to him. It was deeper, colder and more evil. Looking Sasuke in the eye instead of seeing his black eyes or the Sharingan, he saw gold eyes look back at him.

"I will crush you and I will crush everything you hold dear. I don't go back on my word," he said as Naruto grinded his teeth together.

"Fuck you Titan bastard," he said before a dark chuckle came from his mouth and pointed over to the side as there fox unleashed a huge torrent of fire from its mouth.

Turning his head his eyes went wide as he felt a stab of pain in his heart and felt a sob building up. He saw the lifeless body of his mother lying a few meters away from him with a large hole in her chest with her eyes wide open and looking towards him. His father was dangling off a building with his head missing while Hestia and Apollo lay on opposite sides of the street each with burns covering them from head to toe.

Silena was lying there with her throat ripped out and scattered all around the street was Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, even Athena and Aphrodite were lying there completely lifeless.

The only one who was not dead was Little Leto who was standing in the middle of the street with lost and heartbroken look on her face, screaming out for her mother, father and brother.

Attempting to get up he found Sasuke/Kronos and the others had all gone and the weight on his chest was gone. Staggering up he ran over to Leto and wrapped his arms around her.

"Big brother…what's….happening. Why won't mommy….wake up?" She cried as tear ran down her face.

Looking at her cry made his entire body shake and Naruto was letting his tear roll down his face, reminding himself that this was not real. That this was just his imagination.

"I'm sorry…..I'm so sorry. But this isn't real Leto. I'm sorry but this is not real."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry. I wish you were real but you're not. I wish I could to take you to the real world but that is just not possible. Just close your eyes and everything will be better," he told her as she shook, cried and shut her eyes as she leaned her head on his chest.

"This isn't real," he whispered once again and this time a light came from his chest that brightened the entire area. He watched as the Kyuubi suddenly disappeared, all the dead bodies vanished and felt Leto vanish from his arms.

He watched as the entire leaf village vanished from view and his vision went completely black.

* * *

Chapter 14 Completed  
Thanks for reading and please REVIEW 


	15. Chapter 15

I'm sorry you have all had to wait for so long for an update to this story. Lately I just haven't had much of an interest in the story. However this chapter has been half way done for a long time so I wanted to finish it and get it out here for all of you.

I'm going to try my best to update. But please understand I have other stories to work on as well as life outside the Fanfiction community. Now that I'm not at University anymore and am now working full time, I try to write when I can.

This chapter is a bit fast paced and might feel a bit rushed. That's mainly due to the fact that I want to get to the finale of Titans Curse.

* * *

A Naruto/Percy Jackson Crossover

Son of the Huntress

Chapter 15

Deep within Naruto mindscape and behind an enormous said of iron bars a large pair of ruby eyes opened and flickered as it look over its cage as it noticed a few small cracks appear in the bars and a crack appear in the lock on the gate.

When the eyes settled on the crack a giant devious smile etched on its face and a low chuckle came from it.

"He heh he. Like I said Hearth Goddess, you can't protect him. My time in here is almost up. All it will take is one more push and I will be out of this hideous seal."

"When I do I will crush you beneath my tails and then I will move onto Olympus," the enormous fox said as its eyes slowly bean to close again but its smile never lefts it face as it thought about the moment that it could finally eave the seal and take the world by storm.

* * *

Real world

It had been an hour after the visit from Rhea and Hestia as the group felt an eerie silence fall on top of them since no one really knew what to say, especially Zoe and Silena who would not even look in each other's direction.

The two girls had been going over what Hestia had told them and both girls felt great remorse for the way that they and acted towards one another and didn't even realize until now how much it would have affected the quest from their constantly bickering and fighting.

Thalia, Grover and Percy had said nothing since none of them really knew what to say.

As they paddled in silence and continued up the stream, a gasp for air came from Selina's boat and causing them to all turn to look.

Naruto swayed from side to side as his head looked around his surroundings. Where the heck was he? How did he end up in a boat?

"NARUTO! NARUTO!" Silena shouted as she turned her body to face her boyfriend. She stared down at his chest and saw the vines from the the evil plant creature had come undone.

"Don't let it get itself attached to you." Zoe shouted as she had her bow and arrow ready in her hands and was already taking aim at the creature. "Throw it to the river bank. We need it away from us."

Silena followed the older girl's orders and removed her jacket. Just as the plant like object leaped off Naruto's body and jumped towards Silena; said daughter of Aphrodite caught it in her coat before it could latch on. She quickly tied up the jacket arms and tied it into a knot as the evil creature writhed around inside the coat.

"Now off with you, you filthy creature." she said before throwing it over towards dry land. On the other boat Zoe shot off three arrows into the jacket where vile noises came from the monster. After shooting a fourth one the jacket just stopped moving and they all watched as speckles of gold dust poured out of the holes where the arrows hit.

"Thank the gods that's over with." Thalia muttered before everyone turned their attention to their friend who was blinking rapidly. Silena kneeled down in front of him, her hands on both of his cheeks as she checked him over.

"Is he well?" Zoe asked as the boats slowed down and now traveled beside one another.

"Silena what happened?" Naruto asked his voice a little hoarse as the face of his girlfriend appeared in front of him. Her eyes shimmered with tears ready to fall while her lips trembled.

"Oh you blonde dummy." she called before throwing her arms around his shoulders and beginning to sob into his neck. "Do you know how worried I was? I thought I was going to lose you. I've never been so scared in my entire life."

He looked around and could see Percy and Grover have similar looks on their faces. Thalia looked fine but her eyes showed she was grateful he was okay. Zoe didn't look to his direction but was could see she was watching him from the corner of her eye.

In response to Silena he just wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her on the top of the head, whispering that he was okay into her ear and that he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm kinda confused though." Naruto responded before Thalia began to fill him in. The Black Mercy latching itself to him, Rhea and Hestia appearing and helping to bring him back to reality. He now understood what happened and why he saw what he saw inside that dream world. A world where everything he wanted to be real would make itself look like it was.

It was highly dangerous and very cruel. He wondered who it was that released the Black Mercy and whether or not he really was the intended target.

For the rest of the trip up the river he found Silena tightly grasping his hand in her own while having him put his free arm around her waist. She wanted him to be close to her after the near scare. He could only imagine what had happened while his mind was locked up and in coo coo world.

And then there was the light bruising that looked like it was forming on her neck as well as the shallow cut on Zoe forehead. He guessed more happened while he was out then he realized. He knew Zoe and Silena didn't really like one another but it did wonder if they came to blows.

He ignored the water nymphs that were trying to flirt with him as they traveled upstream while Silena gave them a heated glare. He was her and she was going to make sure other people was aware of that fact. She even took a swipe at one of them though the nymph had managed to quickly dodge out of the way and stick her tongue out as her.

Now Zoe and Silena really did have something in common; their hate for river nymphs.

"There we go." Grover said as everyone looked up in front of them and saw the enormous form of the Hoover Damn beginning to come into view. To Naruto it was extremely impressive to see firsthand. The pictures really didn't do it any justice and it was no wonder the children of Athena had always been enamored with it.

"Man Annabeth has always talked about how much she wanted to see it." Thalia said. "It's one of her many monuments around the world that she wants to see."

"She can still get her chance." Grover added. "I'm sure she will drag us here when we get back to camp and tell her we saw it. I can just see her now getting all jealous and annoyed."

"Yeah. I can see her face scrunching up like a chipmunk."

"Not to mention those grey eyes of her will light up. Man she would will kick our butt's if we rub it in." Thalia added as the group shared a light chuckle.

"So what do we do now?" Silena asked, her arms locked tightly around one of Naruto's. She wasn't gonna let him out of her sight now that he had finally woken up and by the look of it Luna had the same though since Luna was running at a pace that stayed in line with their boat.

"I guess we go up? No point sitting down at the base. We can figure out our net move at the top." Naruto muttered before the sound of gurgling stomachs could be heard from everyone, including Zoe. Both girls had blushed faces while the boys all scratched the backs of their heads.

"I think first and foremost we need to get some food. I don't know about you guys but being trapped in a dreamland has made me really hungry too."

"...A good idea. Let's go find food. We have no chance of rescuing my Lady with an empty stomach." Zoe replied, still trying to hide the embarrassed look on her face.

It didn't take them long to find a pathway on the side of the rivers and quickly got out of he small boats. Luna quickly went over to Naruto and began rubbing her head affectionately against him, glad he was okay while Naruto gently patted her head.

 _'Are you okay?'_ she asked as she kept close to him. She felt his hands gently pat the top of her head.

"I will be...at least I hope so." He whispered.

He felt tired despite having been asleep in some sense for almost 12 hours. Though he couldn't show it. Everyone had been worrying about him enough already and he couldn't show signs of weakness to them right now. He arched his back to make himself look taller while Zoe gave them the all clear. No monsters were around for once. Luna back up what she said since she couldn't smell any nearby for the moment.

Walking along the path it didn't take long for them to be at the visitor centre section of Hoover Dam for the tourists and could smell the café. The smell of burgers, fries and shakes wafted into their nose, making all of them lick their lips in expectation.

Quickly they all walked in and went straight to the counter, none quicker than Zoe and Silena. Both girls quickly bean ordering in rapid concession while the other's all decided what they wanted to eat. Luna once again appeared as a normal sized dog to the mortals thanks to the mist.

Quickly finding an empty table, the group took their seats and enjoyed a quick rest with warm food. There wasn't much talking going on since everyone was focused too heavily on their meals to talk. Silena somehow still managed to eat while one of her arms was connected with Naruto's. Naruto could see the worry that had been on her face when he had woken up and had already been filled in by Grover about the brief scrap between Silena and Zoe.

The cut on Zoe's head was still evident but had healed some thanks to a little bit of ambrosia. There ambrosia supplies were starting to run a bit thin with all the monsters they had encountered. Hopefully they wouldn't need to use it up before they got to where his mother was being kept but Naruto could only think that was a fools dream.

The large man in the museum that had taken his rasengan like it was nothing worried him. Even with his sage mode he wasn't entirely sure if he could match him or get passed him long enough to save Artemis. Perhaps if he managed to free his mother ten they could fight him together. After all from what they knew the General was a Titan and a very powerful one at that.

He wasn't like Ares who underestimated people or would let his guard go. No the General must have had brains as well if he was chosen to be Kronos's second in command. If the time came he knew he would have one hell of a battle on his hands. One he wasn't entirely sure he could win.

"You would never win." A dark voice echoed in his mind that sounded all too familiar. "Only with my help can you hope to defeat the General."

Making sure no one could see him, Naruto grit his teeth while one of his fists clenched hard. The last thing he wanted was the Kyuubi trying anything funny right now. "Shut the hell up fuzz ball."

"You can fight for as long as you want. But eventually I will get out. And I will get out by any means necessary."

"Over my dead body! If you think I'm going to let you out then you really are demented. Besides if you got out the Olympians would rein hell on earth down on you before you could even blink."

"If you think I am afraid of those piss poor excuses of immortals then you are sourly mistaken. I will take great pleasure it burying them beneath my power." the Kyuubi responded back, a manic looking grin on its face.

Naruto felt a growl build up his chest though thankfully no one heard it, too invested in their meals. Though he could feel Luna rubbing her head against his leg as if knowing about the conversation he was having with the nine tails.

"Bitch all you want. But you are not going to say anything that will prevent me from saving my Mother. If she was here she would kick your ass to the Underworld and back." Naruto told it and quickly ended the conversation before the Kyuubi could mount a verbal comeback.

He could feel his forehead sweating a bit and his hands clamming up. His feet shook against the ground and knew if he turned his head he would see Silena looking at him worriedly. He didn't want her to constantly worry about him, even if it was her right as his girlfriend.

"Hey I'm going to the bathroom." Naruto told them as he stood up. Silena stood up with him, a worried look in her eyes before he patted her arm gently.

"I'm fine. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." She nodded before he left the table, all eyes on him as he left.

"You think he's okay?" Grover asked taking a bite out of his vegetarian burger. Thalia shook her head at his meal. How in the world could anyone eat a burger without the meat in it. It was preposterous and just made no sense. Even if he was a satyr.

"No He won't be." they heard as Zoe finally took a seat at the other end of the table with a plate of fries on her tray with a pot of ketchup next to it. Immediately Silena glared at her, her pale blue eyes daggering into Zoe's own dark ones. "At least not for some time."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I've seen it before and I have seen what it has done to people in the past." Zoe said solemnly, placing some of the fries in her mouth and quickly devouring it like a lion devours a slab of meat. "It never end's well for those inflicted to the pain of the Black Mercy."

"How so?" Percy asked, placing a some fries in his mouth while listening to Zoe.

"More damage has likely been done to his mind then we think. We don't know what he saw in that dreamland he was in. A many number of things could have happened. We won't know the extent of the damage until someone with knowledge on the beast is here."

"What kind of damage do you mean?" Silena asked her conscious getting more and more worried.

"His mental health most likely; like I said I don't have much knowledge on it but what I do know is that there are many after effects from being torn away from the Black Mercy." Zoe told them before she went back to her meal. "We will all need to keep a close eye on him. He is now the weak link to this group; whether he knows it or not."

* * *

Bathroom

Walking briskly into the bathroom Naruto went straight toward the sink and let the cold water begin to flow. He was glad no one had tried to follow him. He didn't want them seeing him as he currently was. Quickly he started splashing cold water over his face while the words of the Kyuubi continued to ring through his mind.

Looking into the mirror he looked at his reflection and saw the dark bags under his eyes. Looking at himself he could see his skin had gone slightly pale and his hair looked like t had lost some of its shine. All of this because someone had let loose some dark creature that put him out of commission for a short time.

 _'Why do I feel so angry?'_ Naruto thought to himself as his hands gripped the side of the sink. 'The Kyuubi is doing its best to take full advantage while I'm like this. While I'm still recovering; Are these the after effects?'

He shouldn't have been surprised that the nine tails would try to release itself when he wasn't completely a hundred percent. Despite the few meetings and conversation they had in the past, the Kyuubi made it evidently clear it wanted him dead and wanted it's freedom back. That wasn't something he could allow given the destruction and power he knew it possessed.

 _"Why did you leave?'_ a voice asked. He jumped in surprise but his eyes went wide when he saw the small form of Leto, his younger sister in the dream land standing there looking at him.

"W-What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice wavering as he stared at her tiny form. Across her stomach were red cuts that went deep into her body. A small trace of dried blood was covering her chin while her silver eyes stared up at him in sadness and betrayal. She wasn't supposed to be real.

 _'Why did you leave me? I thought you would protect me?'_

His hand went to touch her shoulder but as soon as he got close she disappeared into a dark smoke. He took a step back, looking at the spot where the little girl had been standing before he swiftly slapped himself in the face.

'That wasn't real. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. It's just my mind playing tricks on me.'

"NARUTO." he heard, quickly recognizing it as Selina's voice. It sounded panicked and worries but then he could hear the sound of chairs being thrown and metal clashing against metal.

He shook his head before he pushed the door open and went back into the main cafeteria.

The first thing he saw was Zoe locking her blades with one of the skeleton warriors. He wondered how the hell they were able to find them so quickly. _'But then gain they have been a thorn in our sides since they were created back at the museum. We have to get rid of them once and for all.'_

The few mortals that had been in the cafeteria had gone left immediately, shouting that two groups of teenagers were beginning to fight in the cafeteria. Thalia was next to Silena who were pushing back a trio of skeletons while Luna was busy tearing one apart, locking her jaws around the neck of one of the skeletons. Grover was doing what he could with some acorns he had in his pouch.

Looking around he quickly noticed Percy but oddly saw Percy trying to push some red haired girl out of the way and back into a nearby elevator. The girl was spouting out why there were skeletons in the cafeteria and if she was walking into some kind of Halloween type flash mob.

 _'She can see them? A clear sighted mortal perhaps?'_ he thought before deciding to intervene when was getting a little too close to his girlfriend.

Running forward he brought out his hunting knives and immediately blocked a strike from one of the skeletons before twisting the knives, causing the sword to drop from its hands. He put in enough force to break the hand of the skeleton before he kicked it away with a chakra enhanced kick. Said skeleton was sent straight out a window, losing its head as it hit the concrete.

"You okay?" he asked and got a nod back form Silena."

"Yeah I'm fine. Are they still trailing Percy's scent?"

"They have to be." Zoe shouted as she kicked a skeleton away making it crash through a table. "Come on. I know where we can go. It might be the only way to finally lose these guys' once and for all."

She didn't have to say it twice before the group followed after ass she darted out of the cafeteria. They were all annoyed that their meal had been interrupted, something Grover showed when he stepped on a fallen skeleton head and jumped on it for a few seconds.

"Stupid Skeleton! You don't mess with a satyr's meal."

"Grover come on." Thalia yelled as Percy follow just behind her, having managed to get the red haired girl out of the area in time.

"So where are we going?" Naruto asked as he caught up to Zoe. Her hair was a mess and only now had he realized half of her braid had been cut off at some point during the fight. It now barely went past her shoulder blades. She didn't seem fazed by it and didn't bother asking about it. They ran for a good few minutes with the skeletons quickly trailing behind them, weapons drawn. They were catching up despite Zoe, Silena and Naruto firing arrows at them.

"There." Zoe pointed and everyone saw she was pointing towards two large angels like statues that sat side by side. They were very large, easily four or five times bigger than a person made of some kind of dark green metal. Three bodies were rather rusted except for the toes that were very shiny in comparison.

"You're taking us to some statues?" Silena growled while firing another arrow towards a skeleton with the arrow just passing through the ribcage.

"Anyone else getting fed up with these damn statues?" Percy joked before quickly regretting t when everyone gave him an annoyed look. It really was not the time for jokes.

"They're not just statues; they're automatons. Being's created by Athena and offered them as gifts to Zeus. We can use them to escape from here and make it the rest of the way to San Francisco." Zoe explained before she turned and looked towards Thalia.

"What?"

"Pray to your father. If he hears your prayer and need for assistance then perhaps he will answer the call. The gods are known to aid their children in times of need when possible to do so." Zoe repeated and made it sound like an order. Thalia wanted to respond back but stopped when Zoe began firing back at the skeletons again. Her frineds made a circle around to give her time to pray.

Thalia though looked conflicted. She wasn't entirely up for the idea of praying to the father who had turned her into a tree for six years. Besides since she had come back to life she had not heard a word or had a single letter or note from her father. How was she to know if he even cared that she was alive again? How did she know her wicked step-mother wouldn't stop her message to Zeus from ever getting to him?

"They're getting closer." Grover called out as he began playing his music, making the weeds around the skeletons feet grow at a fast rate. It tangled their legs up briefly but they were quickly cutting their way out of them. They made short work of Grover's weeds which prompted him to start throwing pinecones from his bag.

"Come on Thalia. It's just one prayer." Naruto commented before delivering a strong kick to one of the skeleton and knocking it a fair distance away. He blocked another swipe from one of the skeleton before literally taking its head off with a swift knock to the back of the head with the back of his bow. He was still looking pale but was determined not to let his friends down.

Thalia didn't look to pleased about it but saw her friends doing their best to keep the undead nuisances away from her, giving her the time to pray to her father. She shook her head and pulled on her hair before deciding to just suck it up. She and Annabeth were just so prideful, something both shared a great deal.

She put her hands together and placed them on the feet of one of the statues and made a prayer to her father. _'Hey Dad. We kinda need some help here to save Artemis. Could you lend us a hand with the statues perhaps?'_

Nothing much happened for a minute, leading Thalia to believe it hadn't worked or Zeus had decided to just ignore her. It didn't surprise her that it went unanswered. It wasn't like he gave much of a damn in the past.

However that quickly changed and her head snapped up towards the sky when a loud boom of thunder rang out overhead that made everyone stop and look up at the sky. Lighting started surging across the sky before two bolts of lightning suddenly struck the two angel statues, sparks coming off them that made everyone but Thalia have to look away from.

As soon as it happened the two large pair of wings on both statues suddenly rose to life and began standing up right, stretching their bodies as if they were stretching their muscles. They took a couple of steps forward which prompted the huntress, demi gods and satyr to quickly move away from the skeletons whom started to back away slowly. A couple of the skeleton tried their luck and threw some spears and baton towards the large metal statues. However as soon as they did they all got kicked away from the statues which sent them sailing through the air. They were kicked so hard and so far into the air that they broke apart and were spread apart all across the mountainous terrain that wrapped around the Dam.

The group stood gawking little before hearing the two statues begin to speak.

"Woh man. It feels so good to finally stand up." One said as he cracked his neck.

"I know what you mean. Hey look at my toes. Look at how shiny they are."

"Woh look at mine. I can see my reflection in them."

Thalia stood their staring up at the two before feeling a nudge by Zoe. The hunter pointed to the statues and gave Thalia a knowing look, something that wasn't lost on the daughter of Zeus. She gave a pleading look to everyone before once again swallowing her pride.

"What was this? Pick on Thalia day?"

"Hey! Excuse me." Thalia shouted that quickly caught the attention of the two statues. Both peered down at her as if she was some kind of ant until a look of recollection crossed their faces. "We need you to take us out of here; to San Francisco. Got it?" She spoke in her usual tough girl attitude voice. The two statues stared down at her for a couple of before finaly speaking up.

"Can we get a please Miss daughter of Zeus?"

"Man she is so like...mean spoken."

"I hear you. I wonder fi they're all like that?"

Thalia gritted her teeth but saw the other's giving her looks again that was prompting her to take one for the team. She clenched her fists tightly before asking again.

"Can you please take us to San Francisco?" Thalia asked again. She said it quietly but it was loud enough for the two statues to hear her.

"What do you think Hank?"

"It would be nice to stretch my wings Chuck. I won't lie to you buddy. I think we will enjoy this."

"I agree; besides the guys in a Fran throw the best parties."

"That's right they do. Well let's go then."

As soon as they both agreed the whole group suddenly got picked up by the statues and quickly took off into the air, leaving Hoover Dam and hopefully the skeletons behind. One picked up Zoe and Grover in its hands while tucking Luna gently under his arm as best as he could. The poor direwolf didn't look very happy about being off the ground and quickly tucked her head to avoid looking at the ground. Thalia did something very similar and covered her eyes, trying to avoid looking down at the ground as her fear of heights began kicking in.

"Tell me when it's over." Shem muttered while Zoe shook her head. Of all the things for her to be afraid of; Zoe wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for her or to pity her.

The other statue picked Silena and Percy up into its hands while it settled Naruto onto its shoulder. Naruto thankfully was using his chakra to stick to the statue so didn't have to worry about falling to a gruesome death. Percy looked in fascination as they soared across the skies. No doubt this was going to be one of the few times Percy would ever get to fly since Zeus didn't like children of his brother's entering his domain.

"The clock is ticking boy. It won't be long now." Naruto heard in his mind that made his fists clench while squeezing his eyes shut. Why now of all times did this have to happen to him. The Black Mercy had obviously done something to him mentally. And he knew whatever it was had caused the Kyuubi to begin taking advantage of this. His vision was going blurry and the words from the Kyuubi kept racing through his mind and kept getting louder. It was taunting him about the things it was going to do once he was out. He gently leaned his head into his hands as tried to get the voice of the Kyuubi to stop.

The after effects of the Black Mercy were once again taking effect and he could feel himself beginning to slip into unconsciousness again. He tried to fight it the pounding in his head was taking over until eventually Naruto couldn't take anymore and slipped into darkness…and off the statue with Thalia and Zoe watching as they tried to reach for him.

"NARUTOOOOO!"

* * *

Chapter 15 Completed

So as you can see the Black Mercy has had more of an affect of him then they realize. It had hurt his mental state which is allowing the Kyuubi to become more vocal and tempting towards Naruto.

Thanks for reading and please Review.


	16. PLEASE READ

**THIS IS IMPORTANT SO READ THOROUGHLY!**

 **Unlike NeonZangetsu, who warmly approached me for re-uploading "Convergence", KyokaSuigetsu essentially threatened me to delete his re-uploaded fics.**

 **Now I'm a pretty calm person, but you don't have the right to threaten me. You don't have the right to threaten me, just like you don't own rights to the Naruto franchise. I don't care who you are. I don't care if you have thousands of followers. You're still a person behind a keyboard. So, if you're going to force your hand, I'm going to force mine.**

 **Again, KyokaSuigetsuTotsuka or any other author of this site does not have the rights to the Naruto franchise. And the moment an author deletes a fic, anyone can essentially pick it up and post it. While it is a little underhanded tactic, there is nothing illegal about it. People post embarrassing shit on social media, then delete it hoping no one ever sees it.**

 **However, this is the internet. Nothing is ever lost. Everything is retrievable. You kicked your fics to the curb and killed them in their sleep. People like me bring them back to life. So, go ahead and threaten me. I'm just a regular stalker of this site who goes around reading bunch of fics on a daily basis. The worst that'll happen to me is the re-uploaded fics get deleted. That is of no loss to me. I already have these fics archived.**

 **I want you all to take a moment and archive the fics I've re-uploaded.**

 **Do the same for all your favorite fics. You never know which one will get deleted one day.**

 **If you have an Android smartphone, download "Fanfiction Reader" from the GooglePlayStore. Use the app to browse fics and download them, allowing you to read them offline. Even if the author deletes the fic, it won't matter because you've already archived it.**

 **If you are a PC user, go to - FanFictionDownloader ( d o t) net - and download the app for your computer. Or, go to** ** **\- ficsave ( d o t ) xyz -** and download your fics using their online downloader.**

 **I have re-uploaded these fics because I want others to rejoice in nostalgia. Many a people use fanfiction to get them through depression. I've been hurt when a favorite fic of mine was deleted. It was my depression-killer and I had no way of reading it again. I vowed to never let that happen to anyone else if I could help it. I've read so many thank you messages through reviews and private messages that I know I did the right thing by re-uploading the fics.  
**

 **Despite what I feel about KyokaSuigetsuTotsuka's message, I will delete these fics out of common courtesy. However, you all have 72 hours to archive these fics. On Friday 12pm (EST/New York time), I will delete the fics. If the fics are deleted before that, then it was done through an administrator.**

 **This message will be posted on my profile page after the 72 hours.**

 **Have a nice day,**

 **mahpa**


	17. VERY BIG UPDATE!

**Hello.**

 **This is an update to the situation with these re-uploaded fics. It turns out I'm not deleting all of them.**

 **SoulReaperCrewe recently contacted me and told me to seek out authors who wish to take over the deleted fics of his that I've re-uploaded. He has agreed with many fans that it's better to let someone continue the fics rather than not letting people read them at all. Many people had told me to ask around from the moment I re-uploaded the fics. I've been asking around and requesting some authors that I'm a fan of, but only two of them were willing to continue the fics.**

 **When all of this was going down and I was getting hate, NeonZangetsu contacted me and told me to hang in there. He really cheered me up. I just wanted to publicly thank him for being so nice. He is a really kind person. Also big ups to the viewers who sent me their warm regards.  
**

 **Then out of nowhere another one of my favorite authors contacted me and helped me a lot with his kind words as well. Anyway, this author has agreed to take over Devils Dragon and Fire & Ash. He's been on a break from writing, but I've received confirmation from him that he will return to writing starting from the new year. SoulReaperCrewe knows about the author I speak of and has given him his blessings to adopt Devils Dragon and Fire & Ash.  
**

 **I'm going to leave those two fics up on my account until that author posts them from his account. I've sent him all the chapters. Now it's up to him to upload the fics whenever he gets around to doing so. I WILL NOT GIVE OUT HIS USERNAME. I know people will start harassing him to upload and update the fic. I've been receiving constant messages to update the fics and I've stated in the summary and the first chapter that I'm not the author and that this was just for nostalgia. There's no telling what'll happen to him if I were to leak out his name. He'll most likely give me shit about it.  
**

 **He has told me that he'll message me when he's ready to upload. I'll inform you all of his username when I receive his message, wait for 48 hours so enough people are informed and then delete the fic and let him upload it.**

 **Son of the Huntress: Breaking the Titan's Curse and Born to Be a Champion are two of SoulReaperCrewe's fics that authors haven't considered adopting. The second author that I talked to who was considering the idea of taking over Born to Be a Champion, has told me that he's having mixed feelings and requested that I ask if anyone else would be interested in taking over the fic. But if he agrees to taking over the fic, I'll let him do it.  
**

 **I'll keep asking around, but if anyone else is interested, contact me through private message or through a review and I'll respond back. These fics are legendary and I want capable authors to come forward and adopt them!**

 **I would like to give a big shout out to SoulReaperCrewe for being the bigger person here. For him to approach me and strike up a civil conversation with me shows he's a humble person who deserves the thousands of people following him. Also thanks to all the people who posted reviews expressing their gratitude. It's cuz of you people that SoulReaperCrewe even agreed to letting authors adopt his deleted fics.  
**

 **Again, when the author who has accepted the role of adopting Fire & Ash and Devils Dragon sends me the confirmation that he's ready to upload, I will inform you then. If you don't see a note stating who the author is then know he isn't ready to upload yet. Do not harass me about it. I've had enough messages asking me to continue fics. I'm not an author god dammit. I wouldn't know how to even begin writing a fic let alone continue an existing one. I am absolute shit at visualizing stuff. I am also the sort of person who picks up a hobby, gets tired of it within a day and ditches it. Don't expect a person like me to continue fics. I'm just a fic archiver and reader.  
**

 **Also reach out to big authors and ask if they're willing to take over Born to Be a Champion and Son of the Huntress: Breaking the Titan's Curse. If you're willing to do it yourself, be sure to let me know. Again, I want only capable authors to contact me. None of us want you to update for one or two chapters then put the fic on hiatus or for adoption. We want to see those fics continued and finished!  
**

 **Have a blessed day,**

 **mahpa**

 **P.S: If KyokaSuigetsuTotsuka agrees to let people adopt his fics, I'll let you know. If not then like I said in the previous note, his re-uploaded fics will be deleted from my account on Friday.**


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